Shoppers at locally-owned Rogers Park businesses can earn cash back this holiday season, thanks to a rebate program run by the Rogers Park Business Alliance.
The program, Live Love Shop Rogers Park , runs through Dec. 31. Participants can receive a $25 rebate after spending $100 at four independently owned business in the area, or $50 back for spending $150 or more.
The program generated $37,000 in 2017, according to Carolina Juarez, Rogers Park Business Alliance special service area manager. It’s designed to attract local customers who might shop outside of the neighborhood, or at national chain stores, for the same products, Juarez said.
“It benefits the community because this incentivizes consumers to shop in the neighborhood for things they could very well get here,” Juarez said. “The money stays in the community … and it circulates in the neighborhood making it more economically viable and vibrant.”
A 2004 study in Andersonville showed for every $100 spent at a local business, $68 remained in the Chicago economy, whereas $43 remained in the economy when someone shopped at a chain store.
Live Love Shop Rogers Park began as a smaller program within the Special Service Areas (SSAs) of the 49th Ward, but expanded to include a larger boundary, according to Juarez. Since the switch, the ward has increased the numbers of SSAs to four.
To get the rebate, customers must fill out the rebate form and present the original receipts. There is also a list of rules to follow, such as only $30 can be spent on liquor and groceries and the minimum purchase at a store must by $20.
