Kelly Holliday, director and cochair of the 'retail relief action committee' is hoping the community will support a coupon based initiative that encourages people to shop local.

The committee of five local business owners, formed after the Jan. 20, 2012 Babine Forest Products explosion and fire, has a mandate to develop a retail relief action plan to provide consumers with an incentive to shop local, encouraging them to support businesses throughout the Lakes District.

From that mandate, the 亚洲天堂 Lake Incentive Program (BLIP) was initiated.

According to Holliday, BLIP is a coupon based local shopping incentive that will provide booklets of coupons encouraging shoppers to buy from 54 participating merchants, both in 亚洲天堂 Lake and on the Southside.

Coupon books, containing 10 coupons each, will be given with any purchase at any of the participating stores or community services.

"There will be coupons for businesses in each booklet and there will be 10 different booklets to collect, all with different coupons," Holliday said, adding that people will have to keep shopping to collect all 10 booklets to get the full range of coupons.

Coupons from each business could include a percentage off saving, a free with purchase coupon, or no purchase necessary entries into prize draws.

The coupon booklets are expected to be in stores for distribution to customers on or before April 1, 2012.

"Local businesses need something given back. Businesses give a great deal of support to the community all the time, but now we are asking for help in return. We need the support of the community and we need people to shop local."

Holliday said funding the initiative has been an issue with both the federal and provincial government saying no to the $5,000  in operational costs asked by the group.

"We were told no, that there is no pots of money available to retail businesses. We were only asking for $5,000 so that there would not be a cost to businesses to start the program.鈥� Holliday says the committee felt frustrated trying to secure the funds to launch the program.

鈥淲hen it comes to small business it seems you are own your own, there is no hand outs. Luckily the 亚洲天堂 Lake and District Chamber of Commerce has been fortunate in their relationship with the B.C. Chamber of Commerce, who put out a call to all chambers in B.C. to support strategies and planning initiatives by encouraging all chambers to buy a membership in our chamber.鈥�

鈥淎t least 10 chambers stepped up to the plate, including chambers from Houston, Quesnel and a couple from Vancouver Island.鈥�

The funds gained from this initiative have been used to launch BLIP.

鈥淭his money was allocated for strategic initiatives to help sustain local business initiatives,鈥� Holliday said.

The BLIP initiative has now been adopted by the chamber board who have taken over the leadership role.

It is hoped that local shoppers will embrace BLIP and in return see their spending dollars go further.

Holliday said the Village of 亚洲天堂 Lake has agreed to participate in BLIP by offering a coupon for savings off a village garbage bin. 鈥淲ith this saving, the consumer may then take that to the Grapevine Pub and Bistro or Mulvaney鈥檚 and have dinner, then with a coupon from the restaurant they may purchase something from a local business, and so on. It is the pay it forward effect. As well as helping the consumers dollar go further, it will keep sales and traffic flowing through local businesses which will avoid another employment crisis in the local area. Local businesses won鈥檛 be forced to lay off employees who could be single mothers, minimum wage earners, one income families or seniors who may be working part time to make ends meet.鈥�

Holliday said that small business represents 70 per cent of employment throughout B.C. and a large proportion of local employment.

The BLIP program will offer further incentives to shop local such as monthly draws. The more coupons a customer redeems, the more chances to win a monthly draw of prize baskets which will be donated by local businesses. The baskets will be valued at more than $100.

鈥淭here will also be a grand prize draw that is looking like it will be an all expenses paid trip to Vancouver with tickets to either a game or a 驳补尘别.鈥�

Holliday said she is confident that she will get partners on board to cover the costs of the grand prize.

Each participating business will have a sign in the window or at the point of sale saying they are a BLIP business.

鈥淟akes District 亚洲天堂 designed the poster and donated their time doing that,鈥� Holliday said.

She said the program will run until September. 鈥淎fter that businesses will meet to discuss the possibility of a new initiative. We have to keep things fresh and new.鈥�