Nov. 14, 2016 By Hannah Wulkan
Grab your passport, it’s time to shop.
Sunnyside residents will have the opportunity to save money and win prizes by shopping locally for all their holiday gifts.
Sunnyside Shines, the local Business Improvement District, launched a special “Shop Local Holiday Passport” this month, offering discounts and promotions every time a customer gets it stamped at one of 19 Sunnyside businesses.
“We came up with the idea of a passport since Sunnyside is so diverse with people from all over world,” said Sunnyside Shines director Rachel Thieme. “We thought it would be a fun concept where people could go from place to place and get stamps, which would encourage people to shop local.”
She explained that each time a customer shops with the passport it will get stamped, and once a customer collects three stamps, they will be entered in to a drawing for cash prizes totaling $500.
The participating businesses encompass a wide range of goods and services, including local florists, optical stores, pharmacies, shoe stores, a gift store, a pet store, a jeweler, a salon, a baking supply shop, a tattoo studio and a specialty food retailer.
“We want to encourage people to check out neighborhood stores they haven’t been in to before,” Thieme said. “The goal is for people to shop locally and keep their dollars in Sunnyside and to support local businesses throughout the holidays.”
Sunnyside Shines has mailed out nearly 24,000 passports so far, and plans to continue distributing them from its office and at upcoming holiday events, including the Greenpoint Avenue Holiday Lighting at 6 p.m. on November 22 and Small Business Saturday at noon at Bliss Plaza on November 26.
The BID is also hoping to increase involvement through social media, using the hashtag #SunnysidePassport, as well as featuring a different participating store each week on “Travel Tuesday.”
The promotion runs until December 23, and the drawing for the prizes will likely take place before the end of the year.
The full list of participating stores is:
-ADL Jewelers at 39-38 Queens Boulevard
-Amazon Pharmacy at 43-10 Queens Boulevard
-Avalon Florist at 47-06 Queens Boulevard
-Bing’s Hallmark at 45-15 Greenpoint Avenue
-Flowers by Giorgie at 45-17 Greenpoint Avenue
-KMIA Salon at 45-14 Queens Boulevard
-Lowery Wine and Liquors at 40-14 Queens Boulevard
-Metro Sports at 45-13 Greenpoint Avenue
-Musicalisimo at 45-08 Greenpoint Avenue
-Pearle Vision at 48-11 Queens Boulevard
-Platinum Pharmacy at 46-21 Queens Boulevard
-Quality and Fashion Optical at 43-09 Greenpoint Avenue
-Red Wing Shoes at 47-01A Queens Boulevard
-Sugar Room at 44-21 Queens Boulevard
-Sunnyside Florist at 40-05 Queens Boulevard
-Sunnyside Tattoo Studio at 39-24A Queens Boulevard
-Sunnysight Optik at 44-13 Queens Boulevard
-Taiyo Foods at 45-08 44th Street
-Wespaw Pets at 44-05 Queens Boulevard
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4 Comments
Nothing at all to do with shopping, but just my 2 cents. The holiday lights on Skillman Avenue are just awful this year. So starkly white and cold and off-putting. I love Christmas lights, but these give me no warm, fuzzy feeling. The lights on Queens Blvd. are so much warmer and welcoming. Where did these come from? Bring back the dirty snowflakes!!
I don’t shop at those places now, why should I start? Well, except Taiyo Foods and Lowery Wine and Liquors.
C’mon get a Make America Great Again tattoo! Support your neighborhood and your country all at once.
Wee wee wee its fun