SLO County News BlogGolf, Wine, Real Estate, Business & Travel NewsShop SLO -- Keep it LocalFriday, November 19, 2004San Luis Obispo retailers are getting a little help from the city this holiday season. City officials have launched a "shop local" campaign to educate residents about the benefits of keeping money in town to pay for schools, police and other services. As part of the campaign, businesses in the city will receive a sticker saying, "Shop SLO -- keep it local," to display in their windows.
"It is actually one of our major city goals to increase sales tax revenue in the city," said Shelly Stanwyck, the city's economic development manager. "We hope when people see the sign, they'll make a connection between their shopping habits and city services." Sales tax dollars -- about $11.5 million annually -- are the main source of general fund revenue for the city. One cent of every dollar spent in San Luis Obispo is used for city services, projects and programs, including building new sports fields or maintaining city streets, she said. The city's program will be year-round, but it is kicking off at the same time as First Bank of San Luis Obispo's holiday shop-local campaign. Kristin Johnson, marketing director for the bank, said First Bank has used newspaper, TV and radio advertisements to promote local holiday shopping for the past three years. "Being a business bank and having so many retailers as customers ... we think it is important to find a way to say, 'Hey, keep your money in the area,' " she said. While the city's shop-local decals will appear in store windows this week, First Bank's ads start the day after Thanksgiving. SLO is stoking local retailers' holiday flame - Leslie Griffy, The Tribune Shop SLO -- Keep it Local begins - KSBY Read More
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