Paso Robles offers discounts on gift cards to help residents support local businesses
PASO ROBLES, Calif. - As businesses struggle to scrape by across California during COVID-19 restrictions, the City of Paso Robles decided to offer a new program to help residents help local businesses.
The new "Keep it Local" Gift Card Program allows citizens to buy full-value gift cards or certificates from Paso Robles businesses at a 20% discount. The city will then fund the difference up to $1,000 per business, equating to $5,000 in sales revenue per business.
The goal of this program is to allow residents an easier way to provide sales revenue to local stores while also saving money themselves.
“We know that simply spreading a limited budget around wouldn’t go very far,” said Paul Sloan, the City’s Economic Development Manager, “so we designed a program to leverage our funds and help get residents out supporting local businesses, save them and the business money, and hopefully have fun doing it. If businesses participate and locals embrace the program, it can generate additional sales revenue for local businesses and save residents money out of their own pockets at the same time.”
The Paso Robles "Keep it Local" Gift Card Program begins this week and will continue until all the funds for the program have been disbursed.
Participating businesses will be listed on the city’s website and promoted on the city’s social media channels and in the city newsletter.
Paso Robles businesses that issue gift cards or gift certificates can apply to participate in the program online here.
For more information, contact Paul Sloan at 805-227-7237 or email psloan@prcity.com.
This new promotion is the most recent effort by the City of Paso Robles to help offset the economic impact of the pandemic. Other programs have included $200,000 in CARES Act grants to small businesses, the Dining in the Park program, deferred or waived payments on parklet permits, providing parklet infrastructure, deferred business license fees, and waiving of TOT late fees.
The city also said it is launching a Propane Support plan in partnership with the Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce to help underwrite the cost of keeping parklets downtown heated to support downtown businesses and the residents they employ during Paso’s colder winter months.
