‘Shop Local’ supports tax dollars & sponsorship: Trivia game with prizes open to St. John residents
Published 12:05 am Saturday, November 23, 2019
- Wayne Vicknair, left, and Ali Vicknair, right, speak on behalf of PJ’s Coffee LaPlace and Advanced Marketing & Promotions Thursday morning during the Shop Local, Shop St. John Campaign Kick-off.
LAPLACE — You’ll never see an Amazon logo on the jersey of a St. John the Baptist Parish baseball team. Those sponsorships are built on the small businesses that give back to the community that supports them, according to A.G. Crowe, former Louisiana State Senator and CEO of Shop Local USA.
Crowe was present during this week’s Shop Local, Shop St. John Campaign Kick-off, hosted at PJ’s Coffee in LaPlace. The level of collaboration between St. John officials and local business owners impressed Crowe, and he came to the Kick-off with new technology to help strengthen that bond.
“I’ve got to say, this parish is probably more oriented to helping local business than any parish I’ve ever visited, and that’s quite a big accomplishment,” Crowe said. “We started the company Shop Local USA in Slidell, and it’s all about one thing: getting people to shop local. So many people are going to Amazon automatically when right around the corner are some of the best people and the best businesses in the world.”
A.G. Crowe talks about innovative small business development tools.
Shop Local USA has an online directly with an interactive map of local businesses in each parish. The website acts as a directory to connect visitors with links to government, business, church and school websites. However, Crowe is most excited about innovative 3D, 360 degree virtual tours that provide visitors an inside look at a business before they ever step foot inside the site.
The technology has become popular in the real estate industry, according to Crowe. He said a business in Slidell went viral after posting a link to their virtual tour. Another business, a 400 square foot bike shop in Covington, has received calls from as far away as Australia since creating the virtual tour.
From left, Ronnie Luman of L’OBSERVATEUR, Felicia Cambre of St. John Physical Therapy and Robert Tamplain of Bayou Ford enjoy the Shop Local Kick-off.
Crowe said there are plans to create a virtual tour package for the St. John Community Center in LaPlace, which would give film industry representatives and people booking events more incentive to explore the facility.
“We’re now taking local businesses and giving them the tools of the largest companies out there,” Crowe said.
Parish President Natalie Robottom praised the strong attendance of this year’s Shop Local, Shop St. John Kick-off event. According to Robottom, tax roll revenue is one of many benefits of shopping local.
For every $100 spent with independent merchants in St. John Parish, $68 stays in the Parish, according to Robottom. When $100 is spent at a big box store, $43 stays in the New Orleans region.
She compared that to online shopping, where $100 spent equates to $0 for St. John Parish.
“It’s important that people here shop at these stores,” Robottom said. “In addition to the tax dollars that stay here, we also get more back because they sponsor our youth groups. They sponsor our events and help with things in our community. It’s double fold. You get the tax dollars that they are required to pay, but we also get the benefit of sponsorships.”
Parish President Natalie Robottom, members of the St. John Parish administration team and local business owners talk over coffee about the importance of shopping local.
Wayne and Ali Vicknair, co-owners of PJ’s Coffee LaPlace, said local support fuels re-investment into the people of St. John Parish.
“Once again you guys showed up, which goes to show you how much you guys support us in this parish,” Ali Vicknair said. “We just want to thank y’all. It doesn’t go unnoticed. In this parish, there is definitely a need for the amount of support you guys are giving. That support will go into our renovations and everything that we are going to be putting back into the community.”
Wayne Vicknair said his other company, Advanced Marketing and Promotions, could not have grown from one to eight employees without the patronage of Parish administration and local organizations.
Every St. John the Baptist Parish resident will soon receive a Shop Local, Shop St. John trivia game in the mail. Robottom joked that it is not just a Christmas card as many people assume, but also a way to increase awareness for local businesses.
Residents are welcome to participate in a 10-question trivia game and return the entry for a chance to win special prizes donated by local businesses. Shop Local collection boxes are located at the St. John Parish Government Complex, 1811 W. Airline Highway in LaPlace; the LaPlace Library, 2979 U.S. 51; the Edgard Courthouse, 2393 Highway 18; and the Edgard Library, 2979 Highway 18.
Entries can also be mailed to 1811 W. Airline Highway, LaPlace, LA 70068.
The contest runs from Nov. 22 through 4:30 p.m. Dec. 27. Prize winners will be announced on Jan. 6.
Visit sjbparish.com/shoplocal for more information.
