CITY DDA OFFERING S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y DEALS!
Get free gift cards, parking to kick off Small Business Saturday
Downtown Royal Oak shoppers can score a total of $150,000 in free Downtown Dollars next week in the lead up to Small Business Saturday.
The free gift cards are through the city’s Downtown Development Authority’s annual Downtown Dollars Buy One, Get One program. Anyone who buys one of the cards gets a bonus gift card for an equal amount.
The DDA is partnering with dozens of downtown businesses.
Shoppers can get oneday-only deals from participating businesses, special giveaways, sidewalk attractions and visit warming stations from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 26.
“We’re expecting up to 5,000 people in the downtown” for Small Business Saturday, said DDA Manager Daniel Hill. “There are two programs for participating retailer locations.”
One is for shoppers who spend $50 or more at a retailer and can get a free downtown tote and a free custom designed Royal Oak holiday ornament. Two thousand ornaments will be available while the
supply lasts.
The other is a retail passport program. Buyers who spend at least $25 at four participating retailers will be entered into a contest. Two shoppers will each win $2,500 in Downtown Dollar gift cards. Hill said those winners can use the cards at any of more than 40 downtown retailers and restaurants.
Distributed passport programs also serve as a map to discounts and specials at participating small businesses Nov. 26.
People can pick up a passport at the DDA temporary outdoor headquarters on the closed section of Fifth Street east of Washington Avenue on Small Business Saturday.
“We’ll have lots of hot beverages,” Hill said, adding that Office Coffee, Tapped Coffee, hot cider from GoldfishTea Cafe, and tea and hot chocolate from The Fern will be on hand. “We’ll also have some deals and coupons provided by restaurants.”
The last time the DDA offered the Downtown Dollars Buy One, Get One gift card special it sold out in a couple of hours.
Hill said a key thing is for shoppers to sign up for the Downtown Royal Oak newsletter through its Facebook and Instagram accounts. Information is also on the downtownroyaloak. org site.
Passport Program and Royal Oak Ornament participants include: 6 Salon, Blu Jean Blues, Chrome Clothing, Five15, Funky 7, Give Thanks Bakery, Goldfish Tea, Guitar Hi-Fi, hihi/ LIFT, La Roche Gifts, Le Don Collection, Lily’s Seafood Grill & Brewery, Made in the Mitten, Marcia Hovland Studio Gallery, Metals In Time, Paper Trail Books, Prism Park Optical Studio, Rail & Anchor, The Accessories Shop, Toyology Toys, Write Impressions and Your Personal Jeweler.
The programs are only for retail sales and do not include purchases of salon service, food or drinks, services or entertainment tickets.
A list of participating businesses is still growing and is being updated at downtownroyaloak. org/1450/Small-BusinessSaturday.
The DDA board on Wednesday approved spending $61,000 to provide free parking at one of the four downtown city parking decks.
There will be free parking on Saturday, Nov. 26, and Thursday through Saturday each week in December. Sunday parking is always free.
DDA officials earlier began offering grants for downtown businesses to have holiday window paintings done for the season on up to 100 businesses.
The temporary window mural displays of white stars, ornaments, evergreen trees, large snowflakes and striped candy canes are up already at about 40 businesses. They are each hand painted by artist Lisa Littill.
Littill was bundled up and already painting windows early Thursday morning.
“Sometimes it’s windy or cold,” she said. “But we keep going until every painting is done.”
When a similar seasonal window mural program was done in the spring, Hill said, a number of businesses reported that it drew in new customers or caught the attention of passersby.
“The big thing we’re hoping for on Small Business Saturday is to see people out, being jolly and shopping at our businesses with the window murals and the holiday lights up.”