President of Bairnsdale Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), Karen Fleischer, is encouraging the community to “love where you live” and shop local this Christmas.

Like farmers, many local businesses have been affected by the drought. This has a flow on affect to families who rely on local employment.

Online sales, where the money leaves the region, has also been a factor in a reduction of the local economy.

Karen, who came to the position of BCCI president in October 2017, said she has been on a steep learning curve.

“As many of us in volunteer positions know, the pool of volunteers within many organisations goes through constant changes, including a downturn of members, particularly those who have served for many years,” she said.

“This sometimes results in knowledge and systems walking out the door.”

BCCI has spent the past year establishing a strategic plan and forming partnerships.

“BCCI would like to acknowledge the support provided from East Gippsland Shire Council for their strategic market initiative,” Karen said.

“Like many community volunteer organisations, BCCI has limited man power from its current base of members because they mostly all work full time plus in their small businesses.”

Karen, who works for the Paynesville Neigh bourhood Centre (PNC), which is also a full time position, saw the benefit in people who are enrolled in some of PNC’s programs helping out with BCCI’s initiatives.

“It was at a BCCI general meeting, which was held at the Aspire Precinct, that the BCCI committee agreed to work towards brokering the volunteer help,” Karen said.

“This has been a win-win situation for all parties as the Aspire Precinct participants have been able to assist with BCCI Late Night Shopping and Sunday Trading program.

“They developed the BCCI extended hour shop notice concept, which was then sent to a local printer who polished and printed the final version.”

PNC Aspire participants then laminated and hole punched the flyers. They also prepared the flyer ribbon decorations. The extended hour posters are being displayed by the shops in their shop front when they are open for business.

The printing costs of the BCCI flyers, which lists all the traders, and the flyer that is a ‘shoutout’ to the community that the traders are open for extended hours, was made possible with an Emergency Grant from council.

Karen said the businesses had been responsive to the extended hour program.

“They have been appreciative of the local support especially as you did not had to be a member of BCCI to be a participating store,” she said.

“2018 has been a very hard year for the Bairnsdale traders, mainly due to the drought as well as an increased spending in online sales. However, the common goal is for those people who love where they live to consider the benefits of shopping locally this year.

“The flow-on effect of every dollar spent locally means that other people are employed and individuals and families benefit from the on-spend.”

You can still join in BCCI’s extended trading initiative. Once you have registered you will be given the poster that all of the traders are displaying in their shop front during extended hours. The poster flags to the community that their business is open for the extended shopping period.

Your store will be listed on BCCI’s website as well as BCCI’s including Visit Bairnsdale Facebook page.

Karen thanked Veronica Davies, who has been a BCCI member for many year, for assisting with BCCI extended trading program.

If your business would like to be a part of the program, you can contact Veronica at Bairnsdale Travel or call in at the Aspire Precinct, corner Macleod and Ligar streets, Bairnsdale.