Shop Local Season has begun in Grundy County

The holidays are here which means its Shop Local Season and the Grundy County Chamber of Commerce & Industry reminds you the perfect gift for everyone on your list can be found right here in Grundy County.

Throughout the county local retailers have already started their Holiday Open House events and the shopping season kicked off on Small Business Saturday last week. The Grundy Chamber is hosting and supporting several events around the county to encourage spending locally.

“By shopping local we are not only supporting our local economy, but we are also supporting the business owners and their employees who live and work here,” Chamber President & CEO Christina Van Yperen said. “When we invest in them by doing business locally, they reinvest in our communities improving our quality of life as a whole.”

In the Coal City-Diamond area and the Channahon-Minooka area the Chamber is running a passport program now through Dec. 20. The Eat, Drink, Shop & Be Merry passports allow shoppers to earn prizes for shopping local. Every $10 spent earns you a stamp, once you fill your card from participating locations you can submit it in the passport boxes at the locations or village halls for a chance to win Chamber gift certificates—$200, $100 and $50 worth! The programs go through Dec. 20 with winners being called Dec. 21. In Coal City, Diamond and Braidwood the cards are green and include 15 locations. In Channahon and Minooka the cards are red and also include 15 locations. A special thank you to Old National Bank for sponsoring this program. Grab a passport to read the details or visit grundychamber.com for more information.

In Morris, the Home for the Holidays weekend just wrapped up bringing in hundreds if not thousands from near and far to experience our community. But the festivities aren’t over yet as our local businesses will welcome everyone for Midnight in Morris Dec. 2 for late night shopping and treats from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. For more details search Midnight in Morris on Facebook.

“Whatever you’re looking for you can find it in Grundy County,” Van Yperen said. “If you’re unsure where to find it, just ask a local business or reach out to the chamber and we’ll help you.”

Choosing the perfect gift can sometimes be hard to decide, so when all else fails you can still keep your gift local with a Grundy County Chamber Gift Certificate. Chamber gift certificates can only be spent locally with chamber members and your money goes right to the chamber member business. Pick one up at the Chamber’s Morris office, 909 Liberty Street, or pre-order online at grundychamber.com.