When the Salisbury Post announced the $20 on the 20th campaign last Sunday, we hoped readers would take note and consider helping the local economy by participating. Spending $20 locally on the 20th could provide a nice boost for area businesses.
The response has been huge. E-mails about the campaign have been flying all over Rowan. People have spread the news through their business networks, families, friends ó even their book clubs.
It’s a modest step that, through the multiplier effect, could have a big impact. If one person spends an extra $20 at a local business, that’s one thing. If thousands of people decide to do the same, that’s quite another. Twenty dollars spent by every man, woman and child in the county ó some 140,000 people ó would add up to $2.8 million.
The Salisbury Post and salisburypost.com are co-sponsoring the $20 on the 20th campaign. As partners, the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce, the city of Salisbury and Rowan County have helped promote the campaign over the past week.
We’re asking those who can to spend $20 above and beyond normal purchases, and Monday is the day. If it’s $20 you might otherwise have spent outside this area, all the better. Consider the possibilities: shoes, clothing, a nice meal out, books, CDs, a home decor item, a houseplant or shrub, jewelry, a new Bible, a manicure, golf balls, a painting, a baby gift, flowers for a friend, a nice bottle of wine, school supplies to donate for others, the list goes on.
We’re not asking anyone to be wasteful. Rather, we’re hoping people will consider how their own buying decisions affect others ó from waiters and clerks to business owners and even local government. What goes around comes around. Consider this $20 an investment in community spirit.