Shopping Campaigns Look To Boost Traffic At Sand Springs Businesses

The Sand Springs Chamber of Commerce is pushing two local shopping campaigns. One of the campaigns, 'Shop Sand Springs,' lasts the entire month of July. The other campaign, the 'Weekend of Local' campaign, runs from July 14 through July 16.

The Shop Sand Springs campaign is an effort to promote businesses that have dealt with problems as a result of things like the Father's Day storms, the ongoing construction in downtown Sand Springs or even the general summer heat.

This is the first time that the city has done this type of campaign. The Chamber of Commerce got the idea by looking at other communities that have launched similar campaigns.

During the month of July, anyone who shops at local businesses in Sand Springs can upload pictures of their receipts to a link that can be found in the Chamber of Commerce's July 6 newsletter, and they will be entered into a drawing to win a $1000 cash prize. The newsletter can be found on the Chamber of Commerce's website.

Participants can enter as many times as they like, but each receipt uploaded must be from a different purchase. Receipts from businesses that are active chamber members will give you two entries instead of one. The chamber said that as businesses support the community, this is a way for the community to give back to local businesses.

"These are our friends, our family. These are the people who support our baseball teams, or whatever it may be. So it impacts our community in great ways so that these businesses stay here, they feel supported, and they're willing to give back to the community as well," Amanda Wion, the Sand Springs Chamber of Commerce president, said.

The Weekend of Local campaign is more of a statewide push for people to shop locally, and Sand Springs is participating for the first time this year.

The Weekend of Local campaign got started back in 2021 and is spearheaded by the Shopkeepers Association of Oklahoma. The idea came about after the pandemic first struck in 2020 which had a negative impact on many businesses and even forced some to shut down. This campaign is a way to promote local businesses across the state and in Sand Springs.

"When they sign up, it’s free. They get listed on a business directory too, so if you're a shopper, you can check out all the towns that are participating and see all the businesses. So they get some publicity as well by being listed on the website as well," Wion said