www.towntimes.com
Volume 23, Number 35
Friday, November 29, 2019
Towns and business need to partner, local experts say
SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY
By Everett Bishop Town Times
Healthy towns are boosted by healthy businesses, said local experts at a recent workshop focused on how mutual cooperation can improve success for businesses and help the community, too. Assistant Library Director Kim McNally, left, sits with Durham EDC Chair Janet Morganti as they take a look at the Small Business Saturday passport. Photo by Everett Bishop, Town Times
Effort promotes shopping locally By Everett Bishop Town Times
The days after Thanksgiving are made for shoppers. Friday is for the big box stores, Saturday is for local businesses, and Monday is for online sales. Small Business Saturday is on Nov. 30 this year and the Durham Economic Development Commission, in partnership with the Durham Public Library, want to make sure residents go out and do their part to support local shops.
“This is the second year that we’ve partnered with the library to do something like this,” said EDC Chair Janet Morganti. The library and economic development commission will be bringing back the small business passports from last year, giving residents a chance to stop at as many local businesses as they can in order to collect stamps. The passports will then be entered into a drawing for the grand prize: a $100 American Express gift card.
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The library has put together a passport for kids to take part in, as well. Youngsters will be charged with finding specific books that have been hidden in stores across town. See Shopping, A16
During a discussion at the end of the event, business owners talked with Courtney Hendricson, vice president of municipal services at the Connecticut Economic Resource Center, about economic development in Durham. One concern centered on a statistic that Hendricson had provided during her presentation. “Young people are leaving and so are people over 50,” she said, describing a trend seen across the state. Hendricson explained that retaining young couples is
In order to help counter that exodus, Hendricson said towns can start promoting good news on social media, particularly community pages that showcase local life in a positive light. Janet Morganti, chair of the economic development commission, also pointed out the importance of expansion of local business in town. “Hobson & Motzer are growing by leaps and bounds, they even have another facility in Wallingford, but they’ve also chosen to invest more money in Durham and they also want to add on to their business,” she said of the company, a manufacturer of precision metal components.
See Experts, A15
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“Last year we got a lot of responses that kids also wanted a passport,” said Kim McNally, assistant library director. “So this year we decided that we would take over the scavenger hunt piece so that economic development didn’t have to.”
On Wednesday, Nov. 13, the Durham Economic Development Commission hosted a workshop for business owners in the community.
important to economic health because, not only is this demographic working and paying taxes, but also “because they have young children and that brings vitality to our communities.”