My project is twofold: Develop an online Business Directory for City of Newburgh businesses and promote an annual shopping event that supports local small businesses.

Yearly, American Express promotes a Shop Small event the weekend after Thanksgiving to kick of the holiday shopping season. In the City of Newburgh, we promote a walking tour of retail businesses to encourage locals to support small businesses. 2022 marks the 4th year of our "Shop Downtown Newburgh" event.

Over 40 business have participated in the event each year since 2018 and draws hundreds of people from the surrounding area every year. The Shop Small event is typically the top grossing weekend of the year for small retail businesses. It helps us catch up on bills before years end and we can earn enough to pay rent for a few months. We developed a "Passport" - a handout that lists each participating business, and any special offer. Each shopper takes the passport to get stamped at each business they visit and turn it in at the end of the day. Each passport is entered in a raffle for a grand prize - an assortment of gifts from each participating business. This encourages the public to visit as many businesses as possible since the more stamps you collect on your passport increases your chances of winning a prize.

The event introduces the public to businesses and services they would not have known about. The online Business Directory will also serve a resource for the public to find business and services offered in the City of Newburgh. The website www.shopnbny.com will be used for the business directory as well as promotion of special events such as the annual Shop Small event. We will eventually expand to include information about events, programs, health, history and cultural programs.

As Newburgh grows, we need a visible, viable business community. The event and business directory will help increase foot traffic and the perception that there is nothing to do in Newburgh.