Who says that shopping local isn’t a game in itself? The Business Improvement Area of 17th Avenue (BIA 17th) has created an interactive game where you can get out and have an adventure in the neighborhood. From April 16 to May 14, a person will have to download the Goosechase app and join the “Business is Blooming” experience by signing up on the BIA 17th website (https://17thave.ca/bloom/). For a little while a person will get some weekly tasks that they have to complete in order to get more points.
Now what do these points do? Other than getting some bragging rights from other players, they will help you to win some weekly prizes. Each week’s winners whether it is the raffle or the weekly points collector can get a gift card from a 17th Ave business of their choice. Pretty nice deal, huh? It's not just for the weekly rewards or the fact that a person who is the front runner gets a prize but it’s meant to bring the community together. To show that the people of the neighborhood care about each other and that we can all build ourselves up. Sometimes that takes a fun/free event created will do wonders for a community.
So, you must be asking yourself what kind of tasks are there? Don’t worry some are actually pretty easy. Here are some examples of what you have to accomplish:
· Follow @17thAve on Instagram
· Take a picture of a furry friend on 17th Ave
· Have a bite on a 17th Ave Patio
· Happy Hour on 17th Ave
· Grab a dessert
· Have a Spa Treatment
· Grab a coffee in one of the many cafes
Those are just a few examples of what a person can do here as the list is very long. But this kind of fun comes with a blessing to this area. People who participate are helping local businesses thrive and we all know that these places are what keep our economy going. That is what the BIA are trying to do. They want to highlight not just the restaurants and clothing stores but art galleries, craft stores, health and wellness businesses. All of them get discovered and customers get to have something new that they didn’t know that they needed.
It may be only four weeks but that is because 17th Avenue prides itself on being able to do four things. “Eat, Shop, Play, and Explore.” This is their motto and it describes them perfectly. The themes of eat and shop are clearly about finding interesting restaurants to dine in and retail establishments to find some interesting items. Play and explore focus more on other businesses that fall under other categories such as professional services.
After a long winter, there is no better way than to get out in the beautiful blooming weather and see what is out there. A person will be able to eat, play, shop, and explore their way through spring. So, open up your doors and take a walk down this neighborhood. You can meet some friendly locals with a lot of heart and try some amazing new things. I look forward to the next new scavenger hunt on 17th Ave next year!
Comments