The Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) has announced the winners of its Holiday Shopping Passport prize draws, including the grand prize winner who is donating a portion of her prize to a local charitable initiative, as well as the winners of its annual Holiday Window Contest.
The Holiday Shopping Passport program encourages residents to support downtown businesses by giving them a stamp in their passport for every $10 they spend at participating businesses.
Each completed passport becomes an entry for one of three early bird draws for $500 in Boro gift cards or a grand prize of $1,500 in Boro gift cards, which are accepted at more than 100 locations throughout downtown Peterborough.
“We know people are being more intentional about where and how they spend, especially during the holidays,” said DBIA executive director Nour Mazloum in a media release.
“Choosing to shop local is a meaningful decision, and the Holiday Shopping Passport makes it even easier. Every local purchase has a ripple effect by supporting jobs, small business owners, and a downtown that continues to serve as a gathering place for our city.”
The winners of the early bird draws, which were held on Wednesdays during December, are Wayne Jackson, Gail Edlinger, and Kim McWilliams. The winner of the grand prize draw, which took place last Wednesday (January 7) at GRVTY Studio in East City, is Katy Shufelt.
“I absolutely love shopping downtown — there are so many great stores,” said Shufelt, who regularly participates in the Holiday Shopping Passport program. “My kids laugh at me because every year I say I’m going to win, and after 20 years, I finally did.”
In the spirit of giving back to the community, Shufelt has chosen to donate a portion of her prize to Wild Rock’s ComPassion Project.
A community-driven initiative that raises funds and awareness for six local organizations working on the front lines of social and environmental change, the ComPassion Project was established in 2022 by Kieran Andrews, one of the co-founders of Wild Rock Outfitters, an outdoor gear retailer located in downtown Peterborough.
In addition to the winners of the Holiday Shopping Passport prize draws, the Peterborough DBIA has announced the winners of the annual Holiday Window Contest.
This year’s contest, which had the theme “Snowglobe Come to Life,” was judged by members of Peterborough’s arts community, including Briar Sutherland of the Art Gallery of Peterborough, artist Josh Morley (Miskopwagan Asin), and Ashley Hall.
Lavender Moon and Kingan Home Hardware tied for first place, and Brant Basics won second place. Contest winners received Boro gift cards.
