‘Wheeling Wonderland’ encourages local shopping

Wheeling is starting a new promotion to encourage residents to shop local this holiday season.

“Wheeling Wonderland,” starts on Saturday, Nov. 20 and was organized by the village’s department of economic development, the local chamber of commerce and Restaurant Row Hospitality Group, said Peter Vadopalas, director of economic development.

Nearly 30 businesses in town will promote local spending through incentives and a holiday party in December.

Shoppers can pick up a passport with holiday deals at village hall or participating businesses and get a sticker each time they use it. Each sticker translates into a raffle ticket for gift baskets to be given out at the promotion’s closing event on Dec. 17, Vadopalas said.

“The main goal was to raise the profile of the Wheeling community, to promote local businesses and encourage people to shop local,” he said.

This is the first year, but Vadopalas said the village hopes to make this an annual program.

“I think in Wheeling we suffer a little bit because we don’t have a downtown like many other cities and villages do, so it isn’t a natural place for people to come and shop necessarily,” said Bill Stasek of Stasek Chevrolet, 700 W. Dundee Road, one of the participating businesses.

“I would hope that we bring people into Wheeling who haven’t made us a shopping destination in the past.”

The promotion will end with the Dec. 17 party at the Westin North Shore Hotel on Milwaukee Avenue, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be food, live entertainment, face painting and exhibits from local businesses.

“We have a lot of great businesses in town and it is so important to support them,” Vadopalas said.