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A New Day in Olde Towne

Throughout his hospitality career, David Cartier has been responsible for marketing destinations from Maine to Virginia. He will share the latest on the people, events and what’s happening in historic Olde Towne, Portsmouth. David, along with his wife Betsy own and operate Starboards Coffee Kiosk at High Street Landing, where they provide area information to locals, visitors and boaters alike. Follow Starboards on Facebook or Twitter.

Cash Mob Targets Portsmouth Business this Saturday

The Cash Mob is coming to Portsmouth this Saturday.

Flash mobs have been occuring all over the country. Organizers typically use Facebook and Twitter to help promote surprise gatherings in public places, mainly to entertain people.

This holiday season, Corey Schmidt wants to do something similar in Portsmouth.  His group plans to be quite different from a flash mob.  There will no singing and dancing.  Just spending.  Instead of the flash, they'll use cash with the goal of helping one local business.

The Cash Mob is, well, a flash mob with dollar bills.  Plain and simple.  Here's how it works:  Individuals gather as a group and meet at a specific location.  Organizers want each individual to bring $20 to spend.  No one is limited to $20.

A business has been secretly selected in advanced and announced to the group.  The individuals with their money go inside the store and start spending.  Hopefully, this will be an economic windfall with lots of profits for one local business.

Schmidt heard about the idea from a group in Cleveland that started a Cash Mob just recently.  Similar groups are starting to happen all over the country.

Cash mobs target independent small businesses. It's an idea grew from "Small Business Saturday', where shoppers are encouraged to spend money at local stores the day after Black Friday.

After all, these are the businesses that are the heartbeat of our communities and local economies.  By supporting the small businesses in Portsmouth, here are four great benefits that we ALL receive:

OUR COMMUNTY:  For every $100 spent at local small businesses, $68 returns to the community. (Civic Economics)

EMPLOYMENT:  Small businesses employ half of all private sector employees. (Small Business Administration)

THE ECONOMY: Small businesses represent 99.7% of ALL employer firms. (Small Business Administration)

LOCAL JOBS:  For every year over the last decade, 60% to 80% of new jobs were generated by small businesses. (Small Business Administration)

Help preserve our unique, locally-owned businesses amd neighborly small town values by supporting your local merchants.  After all, they have made a significant investment in our community.

Want to Go...

When:  Saturday, December 17, 2011

Time:  4 p.m.

Where:  High Street, Olde Towne Portsmouth.  The group will meet at the corner of High Street and Washington Street.

The group, known as the "757 Ca$hMob” will gather on the sidewalk and then stroll along to one store  with to a store, bills in hand.

Click here to join the 757 Ca$hMob on Facebook

 

Would you care to make a 'Comment' or want to 'Reply'?   Click the 'Comment' button below.   If you're not registered, just e-mail me, at David.Cartier@ANewDayinOldeTowne.com.   I would be pleased to post your reply as a 'Comment' without using your name and e-address (your privacy will be maintained).

Thanks for reading and sharing...'A New Day in Olde Towne'.

David Cartier

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Better Now Than Never

Though I do agree with ABC15626, it's still a wonderful gesture for this group to come and shop at a downtown Portsmouth store! The bottom line here is if you want a downtown Portsmouth then you have to support it. Thank you and Merry Christmas!

A Great Concept

I think it's wonderful that this organization has selected a small store here in Downtown Portsmouth to vist, shop and hopefully spend money at but quite honestly all of the few retail and specialty stores still remaining need this kind of attention. Small Business Saturday was a bust after everyone had already shopped at the big box, big deal stores, bought their I-Pods and were out or home watching their favorite football games instead of supporting their local stores. As one of the few remaining store owners here in Downtown Portsmouth, I can pretty much say that Christmas shopping has pretty much past us by! Maybe next Christmas all that will be left for you to shop at will be WalMart! Ho,ho,ho!

Cash Mob

The Cash Mob would certainly be welcomed with open arms at Riverview Gallery, 1 High St. in olde towne Portsmouth! Baring that, hope that they will come and visit on there own tomorrow afternoon.

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