Sooke, BC: The Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce has received $39,677 grant funding from the Shop Local BC program. The Sooke Chamber will be launching a Hidden Treasures Campaign in early 2022, in collaboration with the District, WorkLink BC, the Sooke Region Tourism and Association (SRTA), the Sooke Lions and the Sooke Harbourside Lions. The January campaign will include television ads on CHEK TV, postcards sent to every home in the region, and information rack cards on BC Ferries.
This campaign follows on the heels of the Chamber’s Shop Sooke contest, hosted by the Sooke Chamber this past fall. To be eligible for that contest, people had to visit a minimum of 15 businesses in Sooke. As people – mostly Sooke residents – dropped off their contest cards to be entered into the draw, Chamber repeatedly heard, “I had no idea this was in Sooke.” That sense of discovery inspired this Hidden Treasures campaign, which will show local residents and visitors alike the vast array of what Sooke has to offer.
“We have so much right here in town,” says Karen Mason, president of the Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce. “There are over 700 registered businesses in Sooke, some with store fronts and others working out of their homes. Through a television advertising campaign at CHEK, this Hidden Treasures campaign will bring the many stores and services directly into the homes of our residents and visitors. Instead of ‘default-driving’ out to other communities to shop, this campaign will encourage Sooke residents to first consider shopping in Sooke.”
Shopping locally supports and grows the local economy while benefiting the environment. The more people shop in Sooke, the more Sooke can benefit from the creation of more jobs while reducing the number of cars on the road. This goes for online shopping as well, with its reduced travel demands for local delivery.
“When people first shop in their own communities, it’s good for the local economy and it’s good for the environment,” says Mason. “This includes looking online for local instead of default diving into Amazon. If Sooke residents wish to armchair shop at home, BetterBuySooke.ca is a great showcase of local businesses with an online presence.”
This Shop Local BC initiative is supported by the Government of Canada’s Strategic Activities Program, administered by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, and delivered through the BC Chamber of Commerce.
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About the Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce
The Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce has provided support to Sooke businesses since 1948. It is served by a nine-person volunteer board of directors. Its anchor event, the Business Excellence Awards Gala, happens in early December. It is also host to an online shopping mall located at https://BetterBuySooke.ca, a site that features over 60 local businesses. The Sooke Chamber promotes business success and community connection. Like all Chambers through British Columbia, Canada and the world, this chamber is committed to seeing as many businesses survive the COVID-19 crisis and thrive once we re-start our economic engines. The Chamber serves all businesses throughout the greater Sooke region, membership is encouraged. https://sookeregionchamber.com
