BETHANY BEACH, Del.- This holiday season more than ever, local businesses are in need of support after dealing with losses at the heart of the pandemic.
The Bethany-Fenwick Chamber of Commerce and Coastal Point are encouraging people to get their gifts from small businesses through the "Shop Local Extravaganza". Spending over twenty dollars in select stores on Saturdays before Christmas earns you a raffle ticket for that store’s prize and chances to win grand prizes up to five hundred dollars in value.
Bethany Beach Books is raffling off a winter family fun gift basket. Assistant Manager/Events Coordinator Zandria Senft thinks the event is a great idea to get people to shop in Bethany.
"I think that we are all coming together as a community," Senft said. "People are excited, you know. I have heard customers say, Oh hey I shopped at the bookstore. Now we are going to go to Tidepool Toys or another store into town. So, I think it’s encouraging people to shop local this holiday season."
Many of the holiday traditions in Bethany Beach were canceled or changed to a virtual event because of the pandemic. But, great weather and the offers stores have right before Christmas are bringing people to Bethany to shop local.
Manager of Coronado Jewelers Doris Izzo says business has not slowed down one bit.
"Since we can’t do what we normally do at Christmastime which is the scavenger hunt and the tree lighting and the carols, this is helping to bring more people down to shop," Izzo said.
Stores in nine other municipalities in Sussex County are participating. To find the list, visit https://business.bethany-fenwick.org/events/details/shop-local-extravaganza-21831.