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Live Here, Shop Here is a Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows News campaign that spans the holiday season to spotlight the value of shopping local.
Most of the trees are decorated at Maple Ridge Florist, as store staff prepare for the upcoming holiday season.
Unique ornaments grace the boughs and line the shelves of the flower store, which has been a fixture in Maple Ridge for more than 75 years.
Owner Irene Hu said she has a very close relationship with her customers, noting there is always a fun activity taking place at the store, and her fresh flowers are delivered daily – 95 per cent of which are sourced locally.
“Because we want to support local business,” said Hu.
And, as the holiday season slowly envelopes the downtown core, Nicole Archer, executive director of the Downtown Maple Ridge Business Improvement Association, (DMRBIA), said shopping local is more important than ever.
Archer noted that 66 cents of every dollar spent locally, stays in the local economy.
“That’s really important,” said Archer.
“Our small business owners are our neighbours, they’re our friends, they’re our family, they contribute to other non-profits in the community as well, they volunteer their time, they give back to their communities, they employ our youth. All around when you stay local and you shop local, you support our local businesses, you are supporting your local economy and your community,” noted the head of the local BIA.
So, this holiday season, the association is hosting a Passport to Prizes, a fun shopping campaign, being launched with a Stroll, Sip, and Shop walk around of the downtown district.
The walk around will introduce shoppers to some of the great local downtown spots, said Archer.
Then, at participating business, shoppers will be able to pick up a passport and every time they shop at a participating business, they get the passport stamped. When the passport is full, Archer said, they can enter it in a contest to win some fabulous prizes.
Maple Ridge Florist is one of the participating business where participants will get a 15-per-cent discount at the store for the Stroll, Sip, and Shop event on Thursday, Dec. 4.
Before that, Hu said, they will also be hosting their annual open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 23, and on that day, everything in the store will be 20 per cent off.
Town and Country Vintage Home is another store in downtown Maple Ridge that prides itself on sourcing local products.
Shop assistant Wendy Buckley noted there are a number of self care and beauty products from across the Lower Mainland, including from right here in Maple Ridge.
The store carries Lane Way Naturals, a female-owned, bath and body product line – based in Maple Ridge – featuring all natural, simplistic, but luxurious soaps, bath salts, tallow butters, and more.
They also carry SONDR from Kelowna, k’pure from Mission, and Truly from Abbotsford.
Mint, a natural cleaning collection from Ucluelet, is also sold at the store, where customers can bring back their bottles to be refilled.
And, new to the store is a Charm Bar, where customers can make personalized bracelets, necklaces, key chains, and pins. They even host Charm Bar parties after store hours.
For more information about DMRBIA promotions go to: downtownmapleridge.ca.
• Check out upcoming Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows News editions for more stories in our Live Here, Shop Here series.