Discover Peoria Along with 14 Other Community Organizations Kick-Off the Holiday Season with the Shop Local 365 Initiative

 Discover Peoria Along with 14 Other Community Organizations Kick-Off the Holiday Season with the Shop Local 365 Initiative

The kick-off also includes celebrating the opening of the Discover Peoria Pop-Up Shop located at The Shoppes of Grand Prairie.

 

Peoria, IL- The Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (Discover Peoria), the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council (GPEDC), Peoria County, the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce and eight other community organizations are excited to kick-off the holiday campaign, Shop Local 365 and the opening of the Discover Peoria Peoria Pop-Up Shop located at The Shoppes of Grand Prairie in Peoria. 

 

“A fantastic coalition of community organizations have come together to revitalize the Shop Local 365 campaign for the holiday season and Discover Peoria is proud to be one of those organizations,” said J.D. Dalfosno, President/CEO of Discover Peoria. “Our small businesses are what make central Illinois thrive and their resiliency over the last two years has been something that should be applauded. Our hope is that residents and visitors alike can walk away with, not only great goods, but a sense of pride for central Illinois.”

 

“Shop Local 365 is not just a slogan, hashtag or holiday campaign - at the end of the day, it’s a way of life for our residents of Greater Peoria and helps make our communities stronger,” said Amy Whiting-McCoy, Executive Director of the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce. “We know that spending our money locally not only supports our friends and neighbors that run the businesses that make our community unique but also the critical public services that keep us safe and uphold our quality of life.”

 

“Shop Local 365 continues to evolve as more and more community organizations join forces to collectively raise awareness about the significance of shopping small and shopping locally,” said Gretchen Pearsall, Director of Strategic Communications for Peoria County. “The community impact, from the individual business owner to the larger community, cannot be understated. Our communities thrive when our local businesses thrive, and we must support them 365 days a year.”

 

“One way Discover Peoria has risen to the occasion to support our small businesses is by opening the Discover Peoria Pop-Up Shop. This shop features greater Peoria merchandise and other goods made or sourced locally right here in central Illinois under one roof,” said Dalfonso. “This is the first time Discover Peoria has done anything of this sort and one of the first convention and visitors bureaus in the State of Illinois to take this initiative.”

 

This coalition of community organizations has come together to revitalize the Shop Local 365 campaign for the holiday season. After last year’s successful campaign of Shop Local Saturdays, the goal is to continue off that momentum and bolster our small businesses this holiday season while highlighting their resiliency over the last two years. Learn more about Shop Local 365. 

 

The goal of the Discover Peoria Pop-Up Shop is to give residents of central Illinois an opportunity to purchase Greater Peoria merchandise to show their hometown pride this holiday season and provide the opportunity to small businesses and community partners to sell their locally made goods in the store. The Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce will be facilitating the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Learn more about the Discover Peoria Pop-Up Shop. 

 

Community Organizations Involved: Discover Peoria, Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce, Greater Peoria Economic Development Council, Peoria County, Downtown Development Corporation of Peoria, ArtsPartners of Central Illinois, City of Peoria, Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce, Washington Chamber of Commerce, Morton Chamber of Commerce/Morton Economic Development Council, East Peoria Chamber of Commerce, City of Chillicothe, Village of Princeville, City of Elmwood and Canton/Fulton County.