Chamber Issues Newtown Bucks to Promote Local Businesses

The Newtown Chamber of Commerce has started a new gift certificate program designed to give consumers another gift-buying option that benefits local businesses and gives them a reasonably priced advertising outlet.

While most gift certificate programs typically focus on retail stores and food establishments, the chamber's initiative, which rolled out a few weeks ago under the name Newtown Bucks, has attracted a diverse group of participating businesses.

There are hardware stores, day spas, financial investment firms, an auto part store, dentists and even a web designer. In some cases, the businesses signed up less because they believe someone would use a certificate for their services but more for the advertising opportunity, chamber officials said. Businesses pay an annual fee of $50 to the chamber in order to participate in the program.

"They felt it was worth the $50," Alice Baye, the chamber's administrative secretary, said.

Christine Rinaldi, owner of Connecticut Web Designer in Sandy Hook and a member of the chamber's board, said she signed up not because of her affiliation with the chamber but because she thought it was an interesting and low-cost advertising opportunity for her business.

Rinaldi, who used to operate Linguataal International, a firm specializing in foreign language education and translation services, turned her one-time hobby of designing websites into a business a couple of years ago. Most of her business is through referrals, and although there may be a chance someone will decide to redeem Newtown Bucks on web site design services,  her main motivation for participating in the program was to get the name of her business out there.

"It is big publicity for my business at very low cost," Rinaldi said. "Every single person who buys a gift certificate will see my businesses…It's a good reason to do it."

With every gift certificate issued, the chamber gives buyers a list of businesses in town where the Bucks can be redeemed. The program specifically promotes small businesses in town and allows the chamber to keep shopping dollars local, officials said.

Similar programs also are offered in other towns, such as Fairfield, which is the one the  chamber modeled its Newtown Bucks after.

"We thought it was a great idea," Baye said.

A gift certificate can be purchased for any amount, in denominations of $10 and $25. The purchase can be made through the Chamber website or in person at the chamber's office at Edmond Town Hall.

Although the chamber had intended for the program to start well before school let out so as to gear the Bucks to parents looking for a gift for teachers,  the timing was such that only a few certificates were sold for those purposes, officials said.

But the chamber said the certificate program will continue through the fall and end of the year when holiday shoppers will be looking for gift-buying options.

"We're expecting the response to be good," Baye said.

Editor's note: In order to participate in the program, local businesses pay an annual fee of $50. An earlier version of this article misstated the frequency of the fee.