Alger County promotion offers glimpse of holiday business

What's happening: The popular Rekindle the Spirit promotion in Alger County stayed steady or increased for the 2023 holiday season.

How the promotion works: After purchasing goods and services at various Alger County locations, shoppers turn in their receipts to the Alger County Chamber of Commerce and Greater Munising Bay Partnership office in downtown Munising. For every $50 spent, shoppers receive one entry in a daily raffle. All entries are combined for a final drawing with bigger prizes. More than $9,000 in prizes were awarded, all of which came from local businesses. 

What it means: The local shoppers participating in the promotion provide an economic snapshot of the Alger County area. The information helps monitor non-tourism-related business and provides shopper-centric rewards for shopping local that few local businesses could do on their own. 

The Central Upper Peninsula County is home to many successful farms and is a tourism destination because of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The region is home to only has a handful of chain hardware, dollar and auto parts stores, with other goods and services primarily provided by local businesses.

The amounts of entries, individual winners and prizes all increased since last year’s return to post-pandemic shopping patterns. The total amount of receipts submitted remained similar to last year -- approximately $200,000 in various purchases. 

What they're saying: “It went really great this year and couldn’t have asked for anything better. It’s a simple promotion — no apps to download, nothing that would keep certain businesses from participating — and that’s one of the reasons why it’s so successful,” said Kathy Reynolds, CEO of the Alger County Chamber of Commerce and the Munising Bay Partnership. “Not everybody realizes where they’re spending their money, so they forget about oil changes and doctors’ appointments, but at the end of the week you realize what you do spend your money on and how much of it is local.”

What's next: Receipts from this year bring the total amount monitored to just under $2.5 million across the 12 years of the promotion. Reynolds said that the program will return next holiday season with minimal changes, as the simplicity of the program makes it easier to keep businesses and local shoppers involved.