Cedar Rapids alliance asks shoppers to support local businesses
CEDAR RAPIDS — The Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance is once again asking people to champion a local-first mindset during the holiday shopping season.
The initiative, called “Buy 319 ‘tis always the season,” will spotlight local businesses and organizations through December, encouraging shoppers to keep their dollars in the Cedar Rapids metro area.
“Finding creative ways to support our local businesses is very important to us,” said Doug Neumann, the Economic Alliance’s executive director.
“While we promote ‘buy local’ all year long, we want to remind the community of all the amazing businesses in this area that can provide wonderful holiday gifts, memorable experiences and activities for the entire family right here in the Cedar Rapids metro,” he said.
Every dollar spent locally “returns an average of three times more to our community than buying elsewhere,” Neumann said.
The Buy 319 campaign kicked off in March, with more than 100 companies signing the Buy 319 pledge that challenged them to consider switching from an outside vendor for internal supplies and services to a 319 area code company.
“The Buy 319 campaign was widely successful this spring, and it only made sense to bring it back for the holiday season,” said Nikki Wilcox, the alliance’s director of strategic development.
“It’s so easy to turn to the internet to buy holiday gifts, so we want to remind the community once again about all of the amazing local companies we have right here in our backyard and encourage everyone to buy one less gift online and head into a local store, catch a local show, volunteer at a local nonprofit, the list goes on,” she said.
The Economic Alliance is creating a series of weekend itineraries that feature local restaurants, stores and experiences.
The itineraries will be posted once a week on the Economic Alliances’ Facebook and Instagram pages.
One of the itineraries — for Allan Boettger, with the University of Iowa’s Pomerantz Career Center in Iowa City — has him driving home from work through Amana on Friday and stopping at the Millstream Brewing Co. to pick up cream soda “for the kid” and later swinging by Need Pizza in downtown Cedar Rapids for “a late night slice.”
On Saturday, Boettger plans to stop at Dash Coffee Roasters on his way to Raygun for a “snarky” T-shirt, visiting the African American Museum of Iowa and then lunch at Cliff’s Dive Bar & Grill. He’ll pick up a cookie at Shawnniecakes, go home for a nap and head to the Paramount Theatre in the evening.
On Sunday, he plans brunch at Midtown Station, a tour of Brucemore, a stop at Lindale Mall for shopping and dinner at Tomaso’s Pizza before a final stop at Tic Toc on the way home.
To see other itineraries, visit cedarrapids.org/live-here/buy-319/.
GreenState Credit Union is the presenting sponsor of “Buy 319 tis the season” campaign.