Keep your money local: Shop Tulsa

You can find great Christmas gifts and wonderful eats and treats -- from the usual to the unusual -- by patronizing City of Tulsa businesses as you do your Christmas shopping. The money continues to circulate in the local community, keeping people working and generating the sales tax revenue that local government needs to do its job:

ShopTulsa, an initiative to educate the public on the benefits of buying locally, launched its campaign and website last week and offers a video explaining why buying locally makes a difference:

"The video is a wake-up call," said Blake Ewing, owner of The Engine Room PR, which is leading the effort. "We wanted to show people visually how we can all benefit from spending our money, when we can, within the city limits of Tulsa-- especially during the holiday season."

Since 2008, the city has lost nearly eleven million dollars in tax revenue toward the general fund. For Tulsans, this cut in funding directly impacts their city, from the number of policemen staff to lighting the city streets. ShopTulsa hopes to shine the light on just how little it takes for Tulsans to make a big difference in their city.

"Shopping Tulsa" simply means buying products within the city limits. The more money spent within the city, the more money will stay there. Although supporting local businesses keeps the most dollars in town, even shopping at franchises or national chains within the city limits helps.

ShopTulsa will also have its inaugural Black Friday Party at 8 p.m. on Nov. 26 at The Blue Dome Diner. The party will be open to the public and will feature live entertainment along with swag bag giveaways to the first 200 attendees and the chance to win $10,000 of raffle prizes provided by local merchants.

A free raffle ticket will be given to each attendee, and more tickets will go to those who show a Black Friday receipt for at least $50 from a local store at the door. The party's band lineup and raffle prizes will be announced at the press conference.

For more information on ShopTulsa and how to get involved, or for resources on how to shop locally, please visit www.shoptulsa.org or call Allison Broyles at 918.949.3860

Here's the video Blake Ewing mentioned:

Shop Tulsa from Shop Tulsa on Vimeo.