The Chemainus Holiday passport program achieved its greatest success yet during the 2019 Christmas season.
The Chemainus Business Improvement Association sponsored the promotion to thank residents and shoppers who have discovered how much the town has to offer by shopping locally.
“This year we saw the highest number of fully stamped passports entered into the draw than ever before,” noted Krystal Adams, executive director of the Chemainus Business Improvement Association. “It is such a wonderful thing to see people excited for this annual program and the buzz it is starting to generate. We wanted to create something that was truly a thank you to the residents taking the time to be out shopping in community businesses.
“This year our winter campaign was called Hello Holidays and the passport was just one aspect of it,” she added. “Coupled with the Moonlight Madness shopping event and the scratch and win cards, this campaign has really been a lot of fun for Chemainus residents and made holiday shopping hopefully just a bit more exciting.”
Passport cards were free, with one stamp for every transaction of $10 or more. Five stamps were required to be completed for submission.
Stamps were also given out for purchases during the wildly successful Moonlight Madness event.
Stamps ranged from snowflakes to holly in reds, teal, golds, blues and other fantastic holiday colours. The time frame of the promotion was stretched from Nov. 15 – Dec. 20 so more people could take advantage of it.
About 890 cards were given out, with an estimate of more than 1,500 stamps. A total of 197 fully-stamped cards were submitted and entered into the draw for a $250 gift card.
Zoilabet Duque Casanova was the big winner and said she entered the contest because “it’s interesting.”
As to what she’ll purchase with the gift card, Casanova narrowed it down to “beautiful things.”
Her name was chosen at random in a taped video draw. Casanova will be able to spend the gift card in any denomination among the participating stores.
Adams indicated 24 stores participated this year, with more seeing the value of joining each year.
People are taking notice and many shoppers were heard at the checkouts asking if passports were stamped at the particular store.
The CBIA is looking forward to hosting the promotion again this November in the lead-up to Christmas 2020.