With the holiday season in full swing, the Town of Cochrane is helping to support local business with their annual Find it in Cochrane Gift Guide.
“Promoting the local businesses is promoting your neighbour,” said Cochrane’s manager of Business Development, Mike Korman.
Boasting 70 businesses, the Find it in Cochrane Gift Guide provides residents with a look into local businesses and restaurants, prompting gift ideas while supporting the local economy. According to Korman, the guide has been offered for the past five or six years.
Korman said the guide provides a variety of diverse options, giving everyone within the town something to look forward to.
With many turning to online shopping for their holiday gifts, Korman said this is a good reminder of all the local businesses within Cochrane. He said community establishments play a large role within the town, and the guide provides a way for them to be recognized.
“Local businesses give back to the local community quite a lot,” Korman said. “Let's make an effort to get down to them and really support the community.”
Korman said the guide is a service that is provided through the Town of Cochrane’s business development department.
Being 100 percent volunteer based, businesses can ask to be featured in the guide starting in the fall. Korman said they started strong this year, with many establishments from last year’s guide expressing interest to be a part of the 2023 initiative.
Receiving positive feedback from the community, Korman said residents express excitement as they eagerly await their guide.
“There's lots of businesses that love that we have it and they have had people come in with the gift guide looking for specific products in past years,” he said. “We have had feedback that it's a wonderful thing to get in the mail.”
According to Korman, statistics show that for every dollar spent locally, 68 cents stay within the municipality. Korman added that local businesses also provide residents with employment opportunities and help with local initiatives.
“I think it's really important for people to recognize the benefit of shopping local,” he said.
In conjunction with the gift guide, Korman said anyone who makes a purchase within town limits can bring their receipt to the Cochrane Information Center and be entered into a draw for a $500 valued gift basket.
The information centre will be accepting receipts through the New Year, with the draw taking place on January 7.
“Promote people to come down with a receipt saying that they bought something within town at a local business,” Korman said. “It doesn't matter which one because we are supporting all businesses through business development, but we're hoping that they're part of the gift guide.”
Moving forward, Korman said they may transition to a digital guide rather than a paper one. He said they have seen more people accessing the online guide at www.cochrane.ca. He said they are currently transitioning into a map style of guide.
“I know lots of people love having a paper in their hand so they can walk down the street and follow a map,” Korman said.
