Naperville merchants offering discounts for library card holders
People all over Naperville probably woke up this morning with the same thought: This would be a perfect day to get a massage, munch on a burger, play a round of miniature golf, learn to cha-cha, get Aunt Matilda's funky lamp appraised, catch a comedy show and, oh yeah, get myself a new bookmark.
And they'd probably be doing all that even as you read this, if only there was some sort of device - maybe some small card they could carry - that would help them pursue all those tasks and save a little money in the process.
Which is kind of ironic when you think about it, because about 90,000 Naperville residents already have just such an item tucked away in their wallets. You probably do, too.
It's called a library card.
And for the next couple of weeks, that card will be as good as gold in Naperville as the public library and more than 85 businesses throughout the community participate in the Show Us Your Library Card, Naperville! campaign to celebrate the equally pithily named National Library Card Sign-Up Month.
Here's the deal: You can show up at any of the participating businesses, flash your card and save on everything from books and oil changes to teeth whitening and samba lessons.
This is the third year the library has teamed with merchants to offer such deals, says Becky Hollis, who oversees the program for the library. The first year, 25 downtown businesses participated. Now the library is working with shops across the city and looking to expand again next year.
It's a great way for businesses to increase their customer base, she says, and for the library to demonstrate the value of its handy-dandy card.
"It's good for the businesses and it's good for us," she said.
As part of the program, many participating stores are offering library card holders discounts, two-for-one offers and even free stuff. A complete list of participating merchants is on the library's Web site - www.naperville-lib.org - where you also can click on each company's logo to learn more about them.
Hollis says she's already getting e-mails from people who have taken advantage of the deals since the program started Sept. 1, and she's hoping that popularity will continue to grow as word spreads during the rest of the month.
"It seems very positive," she said. "People are excited about it."
Who wouldn't be a little pumped by the chance to save money on haircuts or smoothies or spas or even legal services.
And there are free items you can score, too, in case you're looking for a little something extra for that hard-to-buy-for special someone.
You can, for example, get a free architectural ruler to determine feet and inches on blueprints, a free bag of clay, free picture hooks, free coin counting, a free T-shirt and even a complimentary chiropractic consultation.
When the dust settles and the program ends on Oct. 1, Hollis says the library is hoping to add to its list of 90,000 card holders and to attract even more businesses for next year's effort.
She says she's already heard from eight or 10 companies that want to be included next time around. Other shopkeepers who would like to join can call her at (630) 961-4100, ext. 2200, or e-mail bdhollis@naperville-lib.org.
Residents in need of a library card, of course, are being asked to scurry into any of the library's three facilities so they can take advantage of the Show Us Your Library Card campaign and still have time to visit merchants and maybe snare a free insulated lunch bag or a container of toxic-free household cleaner.