#WeBuyLocal 2019

What: The Carrboro Business Alliance actively promoted local shopping and dining in 2019 through a series of #WeBuyLocal campaigns, which featured local deals and discounts in conjunction with key events. 

When: The #WeBuyLocal campaigns in 2019 aligned with the following events: 1) UNC back to school in August; 2) Carrboro fall festivals in September, October, and November; and 3) Small Business Saturday/Carrboro Cheer in November and December.  

Why: It is important for residents, including students, to understand that they can make a real difference in maintaining our community's quality of life by paying attention to where they shop and dine. According to the recent Small Business Economic Impact Study: “Approximately 67 cents of every dollar spent at a small business remains in the local community. Every dollar spent at small businesses creates an additional 50 cents in local business activity as a result of employee spending and businesses purchasing local goods and services. For every ten jobs at a small business, another seven are supported in the local community.”

The UNC Back to School Campaign in August targeted students and their parents, and encouraged them to head from campus and Franklin Street to Main Street in Carrboro for some shopping and dining. This campaign was promoted through a press release featuring local deals and discounts, which were amplified on social media with the hashtag, #WeBuyLocal, and this twitter card.

The Fall Festivals Campaign leveraged the Carrboro Music Festival in September (9/28-29), the Carrboro West End Poetry Festival in October (10/16-19), and the Carrboro Film Festival in November (11/15-17). The campaign targeted festival goers and encouraged them to do some local shopping and dining while in-town through a press release featuring local deals and discounts, which were amplified through social media (#WeBuyLocal), in a full page Chapel Hill Magazine ad (September edition, page 119), and on WCHL (live radio interview). 

The Carrboro Cheer/Small Business Saturday Campaign targeted those who live in the region and reminded them to eat, stay, shop, and play in Carrboro this holiday season, particularly on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, which is Small Business Saturday (11/30). The campaign encouraged more local shopping and dining through a press release featuring local deals and discounts, which was amplified through social media (#WeBuyLocal) and in a full page Chapel Hill Magazine ad (November edition, page 9).  Review the full list of Carrboro Cheer events.

Contact: For questions, contact Katie Loovis, Carrboro Business Alliance Staff Support at (919) 967-7075 (office), (919) 696-0781 (cell), or KLoovis@carolinachamber.org. 

***Business owners: Enter your deal or discount for inclusion in the #WeBuyLocal promotions, for free, here.