Chamber's Shop Local promotion shows local spending power

The Oregon Frontier Chamber of Commerce tracked spending over the holiday season and found that $171,000 was generated for forty businesses in Gilliam, Wheeler, and Sherman counties.

While the counties are the least populated in Oregon, the spending power generated in the fall season is remarkable.

Kicking off in November, shoppers at local establishments use a punch card for each purchase made. So, that cup of coffee at the Condon Local or Conaway's Coffee in Condon, or at Bobbi's Joe in Arlington, is captured through the Shop Local campaign.

And those dollars add up.

In Gilliam County, businesses reported $96,550 spent during the Shop Local promotion, with fourteen businesses participating in Condon and seven in Arlington.

In Wheeler County, an impressive $53,100 was captured by the Shop Local promotion with ten businesses participating – six in Fossil, three in Mitchell, and one in Spray.

And in Sherman County, $21,450 was reported spent by local shoppers as part of the Shop Local promotion. Twelve businesses participated in the promotional event.

"It was really great to see the Shop Local Promotion increase this year and that shopping locally matters to people in the region," said Oregon Frontier Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Brittany Dark.

The promotion is designed to recognize local businesses and to capture the amount of money being spent in small communities.

While the amount captured is impressive, Dark says that it is a small percentage of the overall revenue generated in the area.