Duane Hicks
With Christmas just nine days away, last-minute shoppers who remain stumped as to what to get someone for Christmas, or who simply don’t have time to track down that special gift, can turn to Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce gift certificates.
Gift certificates sales this Christmas season are not quite as brisk as last year, but are going very well nonetheless, Chamber manager Dawn Booth noted yesterday.
“We’ve had lots of businesses come in and buy them for their employees, which is a good thing, and we’ve had the odd person come in and purchase them as gifts,” she said.
“They’re always kind of a last-minute thing, and I am sure in the next few days before the office is closed we’ll be selling lots of them again,” she added.
Booth explained that after talking with those who come in and buy them, the appeal is multi-fold.
In the spirit of the Chamber’s “Thank You for Shopping Locally” campaign, the gift certificates ensure money is staying in the local business community, noted Booth.
There’s also a convenience factor. “It’s one-stop shopping for everybody,” she remarked.
And it’s versatile, too.
“It gives that person options—not everybody on their staff is going to like the same thing,” Booth reasoned. “It saves them from having to figure out what each person wants. You give them this and they can get whatever they want.”
The gift certificates are now redeemable at nearly 60 area businesses selling everything from electronics, snowmachines, and flowers to landscaping, accommodations, and fine dining (a complete list is available on the Chamber’s website at www.fortfranceschamber.com)
Businesses not currently part of the program are more than welcome to get involved. There is no charge, but they must be a Chamber member.
While the gift certificates are promoted more around the holiday season, the Chamber sells them year-round. These are available in any dollar amount and they have no expiry date.
To purchase gift certificates, or if you’re a business wanting to participate in the program, call Booth at 274-5773 or drop by the Chamber office (474 Scott St.), which is open until 5 p.m. on Dec. 23.
Booth said another gift idea for those who live in Fort Frances, or have moved away but would like a keepsake of their hometown, is Town of Fort Frances tapestries.
The tapestries, which are similar to the ones the Chamber sold in 2003 to commemorate the town’s centennial, were launched earlier this year at the home and leisure show.
They feature historic scenes and local landmarks, but instead of focusing on the town’s 100th birthday, they bear the slogan, “Discover Our History.”
They cost $100 each (plus tax), and are available at the Chamber office, Canadian Tire, and The Christmas Store at Loweys’ Greenhouses.
