“Shop Small, GIVE BIG” Campaign Begins in Bemidji

The Bemidji Downtown Alliance has created a new initiative called Shop Small, GIVE BIG, which allows customers to visit participating downtown businesses during the month of September and be entered into a drawing to win gift cards and other items at the end of the month totaling over $500 in value. The campaign was created to support our small, locally owned, downtown Bemidji area businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This initiative was created with safety during the pandemic in mind. All entries to the drawing will be completed electronically on a customer’s smartphone. When customers visit a participating business during the month of September, they will scan that business’s displayed QR code with their camera app and enter their name and phone number when prompted. After touching “SUBMIT”, customers are automatically entered to win in a month-end drawing. There is only one entry per week per business per participant. When customers visit a retail shop, the app will automatically enter them twice for the drawing.

Customers can visit www.bemidjidowntown.com to find a list of participating businesses. No purchase is necessary. The Bemidji Downtown Alliance hopes this will encourage customers to support to the businesses by purchasing items.