PHOTO: GNG Development Corporation treasurer Kristin Piccone takes a selfie with drawing winner Laura Glaser of New Gloucester. (Submitted photo)
GRAY — The Gray New Gloucester Development Corporation, at its Oct. 12 meeting, held a drawing for the winner of its Shop Local Passport Challenge. The challenge encouraged shoppers to spend $25 at each of 10 of the 21 participating businesses to be entered in a drawing for $500.
“We were hoping to give a little boost to the local independent business in Gray and New Gloucester after the COVID 19 shelter in place restrictions were eased and lifted,” commented GNGDC President Tracy Scheckel.
All those who returned a qualifying passport and receipts were entered into the drawing and Laura Glaser of New Gloucester was the randomly-selected winner.
When GNGDC Treasurer Kristin Piccone presented the prize to Glaser the recipient commented, “We have so many great small businesses in the GNG area. The Shop Local Passport campaign not only incentivized me to continue to support the business familiar to me during these challenging times, it also enlightened me to a few businesses I had never visited and now will continue to support.”
The submitted entries totaled more than $2,600 in purchases between July and the end of September, and the GNGDC estimates that an additional $5,000 was spent by participants who did not complete the 20 purchases to be eligible for the drawing.
According to Scheckel, the GNGDC is already considering a repeat of the program in the spring but for now is concentrating of the production of the next issue of the Gray New Gloucester Magazine scheduled for release in early 2021.
“The GNG Magazine promotes the region from all angles, as a destination, as a business-friendly community, and as a great place to live and raise a family,” she explained. “Equally important is the ad revenue that allows the organization to provide competitive loans to new business through the GNG Challenge and to award cash prizes for programs like the Shop Local Passport.”
The organization’s website gngdc.com has magazine information for anyone interested in advertising as well as details about new programs as they become available.
Shop Local Passport participating businesses included B & R Dairy Bar, Birchwood Brewing, China Gray, Chipman Farm Stand in Gray, D’Ameri Acres, Fishermen’s Net, Focused Nutrition, Goody’s PizzaGray Chiropractic Center, Hodgman’s Frozen Custard, Jess ‘n Nic’s Pizzeria & Pub, Links Variety, Lizzie’s Raggs Primitives, LocalCentric, New Gloucester Village Store, Norumbega Cidery, Nu Brewing, Pineland Farms Market, Simply Hair, Spring Meadows Golf Club, Thompson’s Orchards, and Yolked Food Truck.
