Blue Bucks gift bag winner Tanya Holland. Courtesy/Chamber

Blue Bucks gift bag winner Stephen Rinadi. Courtesy/Chamber

Blue Bucks gift bag winner Aida Saleh. Courtesy/Chamber

CHAMBER News:

• “The icing on the cake is that our two grand prize winners immediately chose to generously donate their prizes …” –Chamber Director Ryn Herrmann

While Small Business Saturday was held Nov. 28 this year, the third annual Blue Bucks raffle officially kicked off the holiday shopping season early, running Nov. 15 through Dec. 15. 

The full month of earning Blue Bucks, a special “shop small” raffle promotion sponsored by Enterprise Bank & Trust, incentivized shoppers to buy locally by rewarding them with a blue raffle ticket for every $25 spent at a participating business.

This resulted in more than 17,600 tickets from 32 local businesses submitted during this year’s promotional period, equivalent to $440,300 of money kept right here in the community. 

During Thursday’s raffle drawing, conducted virtually through a Facebook livestream by staff with Los Alamos Commerce and Development Corporation (LACDC), the Chamber of Commerce and Los Alamos MainStreet, several lucky shoppers won big with cash prizes as well as bags filled with local gift cards.

The grand prize winner of the drawing, receiving $1,000, was Eric Schmierer. Schmierer had shopped at Metzger’s Los Alamos, which also won $1,000 as the store that gave away the winning ticket. 

In the spirit of the holiday season, both Schmierer and Metzger’s General Manager David Jolly have said they plan to donate their respective raffle prizes. Schmierer said he will donate to Self Help, Inc., which provides financial assistance to those in need in Northern New Mexico, and Metzger’s plans to donate their winnings to United Way of Northern New Mexico. 

The $500 winner was Mary Sobak, and the two $250 winners were Jeff Kelley and Terry Craig. Gift bag winners included Aida Saleh, Glen Anthony, Rutuja Chitra-Tarak, Sam Wisdom, Tanya Holland and Stephen Rinaldi. Each bag, worth more than $600, contained locally purchased gift cards and certificates. In addition to both local Metzger’s locations, other businesses that had winning tickets were Village Arts and Los Alamos Co+op Market.

“We are so thrilled to reward our community for shopping small through this unique promotion with sponsorship and support from Enterprise Bank & Trust,” Chamber Director Ryn Herrmann said. “The icing on the cake is that our two grand prize winners immediately chose to generously donate their prizes and extend financial assistance to those in our region who need it the most during what has been a very difficult year.” 

Small Business Saturday is an annual celebration in conjunction with the national promotion started by American Express to support local businesses on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Started in Los Alamos in 2010 by Cyndi Wells, owner of Pet Pangaea, the event has grown over the years. 

For the third year, the Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce and Los Alamos MainStreet partnered with Enterprise Bank & Trust to organize the Blue Bucks promotion, which earlier this year won a Bronze Award from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). Complementary collateral, including a local Holiday Gift Guide to inspire local gift purchases, as well as a list of local gift cards available from small businesses, was also available to the public this year.

“Los Alamos MainStreet and the Chamber are so thankful for all that our community has done to step up and continue to safely support our small businesses in 2020, whether it’s ordering takeout, picking up goods curbside, or buying a gift card for use at a later time,” Los Alamos MainStreet Director Lauren McDaniel said. “This has been the type of support desperately needed right now to show our local owners that we value their business, and how they give back to our community in so many ways.” 

For other ways to support local businesses, visit LosAlamosChamber.com or LosAlamosMainStreet.com. Several restaurants have announced takeout holiday dinner menus, and still have plenty of unique offerings for last-minute gifts and stocking stuffers.

More than 17,000 Blue Bucks raffle tickets collected during the 2020 promotion. Courtesy/Chamber