Downtown St. Charles Partnership to host Small Business Saturday Selfie Scavenger Hunt
The Downtown St. Charles Partnership is organizing a Selfie Scavenger Hunt in Downtown St. Charles in honor of Small Business Saturday, which takes place this year on Saturday, Nov. 28.
Started by American Express in 2010, Small Business Saturday encourages the public to support their local economy by shopping at independently owned businesses on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. Now in its fifth year, the program has continued to grow each year, with more involvement on the part of the businesses as well as the consumers.
The majority of downtown St. Charles' businesses are independently owned, including the franchise operations, according to Executive Director Lynne Schwartz, so the partnership organized the "Selfie Scavenger Hunt" as a way to further engage the public with the downtown business community.
"We also organize the Holiday Homecoming event that takes place Nov. 27-28," said Jenna Sawicki marketing & development coordinator and Small Business Saturday Neighborhood Champion, "so the Selfie Scavenger Hunt complements the other activities going on that weekend."
The rules are simple. On Saturday, Nov. 28, take a selfie in front of/in a downtown independently owned business and post it to Instagram using the tag #citysideSBS. Participants can have multiple entries, as long as they are showing a different business each time.
The winner will be chosen at random and will receive a gift basket with gift cards and prizes from various downtown businesses, including Rocket Fizz, Dick Pond Athletics, and Filling Station, among others.
Matthew O'Rourke, economic development division manager, looks forward to the event for St. Charles small businesses. "Shop Small Saturday is a great reminder of how you can impact a local business, support their family, and support your community," says O'Rourke. "Not only does shopping small keep this money in the community and with your neighbor's business, through sales tax it helps pay for vital city services like snow plowing, water and sewer maintenance, and police and fire protection."
To learn more about Small Business Saturday, visit www.shopsmall.com. To find out more about the Holiday Homecoming parade and the Selfie Scavenger Hunt, visit www.downtownstcharles.org.
About the Downtown St. Charles Partnership
Discover your cityside in downtown St. Charles! The mission of the Downtown St. Charles Partnership is to enhance the economic viability and to preserve the character and beauty of Downtown St. Charles. In addition to providing marketing support and education for the downtown business community, the partnership produces the St. Patrick's Parade, the St. Charles Fine Art Show, Jazz Weekend and Holiday Homecoming. For more information, including membership, volunteer opportunities, and events, visit www.downtownstcharles.org.