Vermont’s “50/50 Challenge”

“As so many shoppers around the country did, Tina and Jim Bayne of Georgia, [Vermont,] spent their Friday planning Christmas lists. But they approached it a bit differently.

“‘There’s a lot of interesting shops to go see,’ Jim Bayne said of the Church Street Marketplace in Burlington, Vt.

“The couple wanted to shop in as many independently-owned businesses as possible on Church Street. . . .”

As noted in a recent post, today is being observed as Small Business Saturday. Taking this initiative a step further, the Vermont Department of Economic, Housing and Community Development has announced the 50/50 Challenge, a call to Vermonters to support their community by doing at least half their holiday gift buying with Vermont’s local retailers, artisans, and craftspeople.

According to the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing, for every dollar spent downtown, more than 87 cents stays in the local community, compared to only 38 cents from purchases with national retailers. In 2011, Vermont downtowns were host to 200 new jobs, 94 new businesses, and 121 building renovation projects with more than $17 million in private investments. Many of these local downtown organizations do this form of economic development on a shoe string budget, but, according to the Tourism and Marketing Dept., Vermonters stand behind their communities with more than economic support – downtowns were strengthened by 25,000 volunteer hours this year alone.

The Vermont Downtown program was established in 1998 by the Downtown Act.  More than 500 volunteers work to produce events, plant flowers, display holiday decorations, coordinate clean up days, and develop marketing campaigns and future streetscape planning.

The Vermont Downtown Program utilizes the Main Street Four Point Approach®, which is a consensus building program that is designed to foster community pride and encourage the growth of small businesses, employment and income opportunities, tax revenues, property values, and general quality of life.

The 50/50 Challenge runs through New Year’s Day.

A recent NECN report highlighted some of the aspects of this challenge:

To access this NECN report, please visit:

NECN: Vt. encourages local shopping this holiday season (23 NOV 12)

For additional information about the 50/50 Challenge, please visit:

Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing: Vermont 50/50 Challenge

Background information:

Vermont Department of Economic, Housing & Community Development: Downtown Program

Vermont Department of Economic, Housing & Community Development: Strong Communities