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Downtown Trail businesses offer a holiday treasure

It's time to stamp or sticker your way through downtown Trail for a chance to win over $3,000 in prizes.
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Luca Hair Studio is one of 19 participating retailers in the downtown Trail Treasure Hunt. Once shoppers gather each of the businesses' stickers

It's time to stamp or sticker your way through downtown Trail for a chance to win over $3,000 in prizes.

How it works is simple.

No purchase is necessary for shoppers to receive a holiday themed Treasure Hunt map from one of the 19 participating retailers or from a sponsor's location.

Then it's game on through the city's inner core, plus one visit to the Gulch.

Treasure hunters must visit all 19 Trail locations listed on the map, including a salon, a bank, a gym, three restaurants and 13 festive retail spots. The businesses each have a unique sticker or stamp that must be collected from their locale, then affixed to the map.

Once full, the map can be dropped into a treasure chest entry box at one of the retail or sponsor locations for the Dec. 20 draw.

A limited number of maps are available, so Ingrid Hope from the downtown Trail business group, reminds shoppers to come early and discover the city's local treasures.

“The treasure really is downtown Trail,” said Hope. “We aren't hiding anything, because the treasure is what is in the stores. There's lots of things that you can go find to put into people's stockings or give as gifts.”

The treasure map idea came together in a few short weeks courtesy the downtown business group, and includes 44 sponsors as well as the participating retailers.

“We are trying to get more people in the doors,” she explained. “We hope that people already plan to visit some of those places, and we are hoping when they do come, that they will stop and take a look around.”

For information, follow the hunt on Facebook at Downtown Trail Treasure Hunt or on twitter at TrailTreasure.

The downtown Trail business group began informal meetings in Sept. as a way to join forces and actively address concerns specific to the downtown area.

“I just don't get out much while I am at work, and I didn't make a point of knowing what was going on downtown,” explained Hope. “Through meetings the businesses have come together, and are making sure we all know about events like Silver City Nite,” she said. “It's not only to promote ourselves but to make sure that we are on the same page. From that, came this idea to do a Christmas promotion.”

Hope is one of seven new members recently appointed to B.C.'s Small Business Roundtable by the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training.

The group of provincial business leaders are responsible for identifying key small-business issues and opportunities, and providing recommendations to enhance the small-business climate in B.C.

Hope planned to discuss obstacles related to local business development, including problems with airport access, during her first one-day round table which was slated for the end of November.

The matter was kismet, because she didn't even make the first meeting - the regional airport was fogged in.

“It was quite funny the one day in six months that planes couldn't fly,” she said. “I only had a week to prepare so I went around and asked a bunch of business people their opinions. I wrote up a quick brief with some of those issues and one was the airport. After I couldn't get out, I moved that to the top of the list,” she laughed.



Sheri Regnier

About the Author: Sheri Regnier

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