Middlebury selling buy-local bucks
Toolbox
By Gordon Dritschilo Herald Staff - Published: December 2, 2008
MIDDLEBURY — The Better Middlebury Partnership has extended the "buy local" movement to the gift card.
Since 1997, the partnership has offered "Middlebury Money" — gift certificates good at more than 75 businesses and organizations in Middlebury.
"It's just about our entire membership," said Megan Brady, the partnership's vice president and chairwoman of its promotions committee. "There's only so many businesses in Middlebury. We're thrilled by how many places it's taken. Most places in Middlebury, you can walk in with Middlebury Money and it's accepted."
The National Bank of Middlebury sells "Middlebury Money" in denominations of $5, $10, $20 and $50. Upon getting the certificates from customers, merchants deposit them. Brady said customers buy them and merchants cash them at face value — nobody takes a cut.
"It's just a shop-local function," she said. "It makes a great stocking stuffer. It makes a great gift for employees or coaches. … The person giving it to you is restricting you to shopping in the Middlebury limits, but other than that, you don't really see the restriction."
Brady said they had no concrete figures on how the promotion affects the local economy, though information sent out by the partnership indicated that sales of "Middlebury Money" exceeded $20,000 last year.
At Two Brothers Tavern, where Brady works, she said they see the money cross the bar sporadically during the year, and then much more frequently after the holidays.
"I get some of it," said Ellen Walter at Blue Moon Clothing and Gifts. "I don't get a ton. Some people have said they can only buy it from the bank, so that limits the availability. People like to give it as gifts. We get a lot after Christmas — I always see a big influx."
Brady said that while the partnership sells "Middlebury Money" year-round, it has only promoted it during the holidays due to a limited advertising budget. She said that is likely to change.
"As an organization, we have grand plans to be doing commercials much more thoroughly and effectively in the future, but up to now it's been a limited effort. … We think it has phenomenal potential that hasn't really been met yet."
Contact Gordon Dritschilo at gordon.dritschilo@rutlandherald.com.
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