October 19, 2020
ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, VA-Smithfield and Isle of Wight County Tourism, Isle of Wight County Economic Development and The Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce, have united to create the #IsleShopSmall Gift Certificate Program, a joint initiative established to assist local businesses in remaining viable during and after the current COVID-19 pandemic. The program will be administered by the Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce.

The $100,000 funding for this program is made possible through CARES ACT money dedicated to economic stimulus.  This funding support has been granted by the Isle of Wight County Board of Supervisors, the Town of Smithfield and the Town of Windsor, who recently approved a request from Isle of Wight County Tourism and Economic Development and the Chamber to re-allocate a portion of the CARES ACT funding budget to establish the program.

The #IsleShopSmall program will build an online shop at www.theisle.org where Gift Certificates to local businesses will be sold from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 10th. Gift Certificates will also be available to purchase in-person at the Smithfield Visitor Center on Sales Day only from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m. This opportunity is open to all locally-owned, for-profit retail, restaurant and service-based businesses, including local franchisees and local licensees, located in Isle of Wight County. Although a membership to your local Chamber of Commerce is encouraged, it is not required to participate.

Businesses may register to join the program at www.theisle.org from October 19ᵗʰ through October 30ᵗʰ. The program will match each purchase, dollar for dollar, for as long as the matching fund lasts. That means that for each $20 unit purchased, the customer receives a $40 gift certificate to be redeemed when the time is right (starting on Black Friday, November 27th), and the business receives that $40 now, when cashflow is most crucial.

Each customer is limited to purchasing 5 gift vouchers, enabling more citizens to take advantage of the program. Customers will pay $100 total for the vouchers but receive a $200 value.  If all of the CARES ACT funds are not depleted during the 5-hour shopping session, a second round of the gift certificate program will be advertised and opened on December 1st and will remain open until all CARES ACT funding ($100,000) is utilized.

For complete program information, FAQ’s, a workflow chart and a sample Gift Certificate voucher, visit www.theisle.org or email Chamber@theisle.org.