The Montrose Bucks program, a City of Montrose promotion aimed to encourage local spending while supporting local businesses, kicks off this weekend on Small Business Saturday, Nov. 27.
Montrose Bucks gift cards are available while supplies last at the Montrose Visitor Center, open from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
For every $50 of Montrose Bucks purchased, an additional $10 is awarded. The $60 can be used at participating locations.
In 2020, 16 locations participated in the Montrose Bucks program. That number has ballooned to more than 80 this season.
One of those locations is Ed’s Fly Shop on Main Street. Ed LeViness’ shop participated in the program last year and re-upped this holiday season.
“I love it, it’s great,” LeViness said of Montrose Bucks. “It keeps the money in our community.”
LeViness’ fly shop was one of the 16 participating locations in 2020. At the time, despite having to operate at limited capacity due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Montrose Bucks promotion was a hit for LeViness. “Last year was great,” he said. “Friday and Saturday were really busy.”
LeViness is expecting this weekend’s turnout to be just as robust. He plans to mark down most items in the store by 20% on Saturday, and also will run his own promotion — buy a $50 Ed Fly Shop gift card and earn $10 more in store credit.
“It’s very important because the money is spent here locally versus people going anywhere they want,” said LeViness of the Montrose Bucks program and Small Business Saturday. He added the program might encourage people to spend in-person rather than shop online.
The city has updated the program. Here are a few things to remember:
• Funds will not expire. There’s no expiration date on the card.
• The gift card is active year-round, so if you still have money left on your balance, you can use it after the holiday season at any participating location
• You can’t “recharge” cards or ask to redeem them for cash
The participation list has extended beyond retail. Local restaurants such as Colorado Boy, Ted Nelson’s Steakhouse, Rio Bravo and more are locations where Montrose Bucks can be used.
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