Newmarket will be raining $20,000 worth of vouchers downtown as part of the Random Acts of Downtown Shopping campaign to spur the local economy.
The town announced the promotion as part of the economic windfall from the local filming of The Handmaid’s Tale. From April 25 to May 7, the town said it would be distributing hundreds of vouchers within the Main Street BIA.
“We can’t wait to surprise hundreds of residents with gift vouchers to drive our community back to our award-winning Main Street and start to remember what life was like before COVID-19,” Mayor John Taylor said.
The town said the vouchers would be between $10 to $125 and are meant to give back to the community impacted by the film disruptions. Inspired by random acts of kindness, the municipality said residents may be surprised by a voucher by participating in programs, walking trails, visiting hot spots or exploring the community.
The town said you could also follow town social media feeds to look out for giveaways. Vouchers are one-time and must be redeemed by June 15.
Residents got an up-close look at television production the past couple of weeks, with some businesses getting to participate. But parking around the Old Town Hall was limited during that time.
The vouchers are part of a municipal $50,000 investment in the town. The municipality said that the remaining $30,000 will go toward “enhancing and highlighting the downtown” through events, programs and other economic development initiatives. The town has estimated the filming brought in $200,000, including town fees and economic activity from the production company using local businesses.
“The recent filming in Newmarket provided a unique opportunity and had a very significant and positive economic impact,” Taylor said. “We want to dedicate a portion of that revenue to both support our downtown businesses that have been directly affected, and also reward our residents by spreading some joy after a very challenging couple of years.”
You can find more details at newmarket.ca/randomactsofdowntownshopping
