Ib.l.a.s.t. (I-blāst) acronym for “I Buy Local and Shop in Town”
Verb- 1.to spend money where we live 2.take action to preserve character of town 3.to make the consumer aware of the value beyond the economic value of supporting our local economy
Syn.- stimulus plan
Origin-two stay at home moms who decided not to sit back and watch
Related forms “Iblasters” (the shoppers) and “Iblasting” (the act of supporting your town)
What gave two stay at home moms the crazy idea to start a business in this lousy economy?It was just that, the lousy economy.We started seeing all the vacant stores in New Canaan and hearing our friends talk about cutting back and shopping out of town.The merchants in New Canaan were already struggling before the crash so what would happen now? We moved to New Canaan because we like the vibrant downtown. After years of volunteering in town, we knew it was getting harder and harder for non-profits to raise funds. While it was time for us to go back to work, we wanted to come up with something that would help raise money for the non-profits and help support our local merchants at the same time.Having accomplished this same mission with NewCanaanOpoly the year before, we knew it was possible with the right idea.That was the seed for the Ib.l.a.s.t. card which turns out to be a win, win, win.
The Ib.l.a.s.t. card is free advertising for the merchants and an incentive to keep people shopping in town (WIN #1).
The Ib.l.a.s.t. card is an excellent way for non-profits of any size to raise money which is tough to do in a poor economy (WIN #2).
The Ib.l.a.s.t. card helps the consumer save money (WIN #3).
We believe that with a little incentive and information, called Ib.l.a.s.t., we can get the residents thinking about the importance of supporting our local economy.Remember every time you use your Ib.l.a.s.t. card, you?re supporting our local economy.Now, that?s something to feel good about!
Many people have asked where the name Ib.l.a.s.t. came from. We have to give credit where credit is due. Carolyn Jeffrey is the brains behind our great name. When we asked her for help, she jumped right in with letter tiles on her kitchen table. In just a few short days and a few rejected names, Ib.l.a.s.t. was chosen. Thanks Carolyn Jeffrey!
We need your feedback to make Ib.l.a.s.t. a success. Please email us with any questions or comments that you have. If you think Ib.l.a.s.t. is good for our local economy, please sign our guest book. We'd like to let the merchants know.
