Local pride meets holiday cheer in Allegany County's Shop Small, Win Big campaign! Now in its fifth year, this popular initiative has become a county-wide holiday tradition, inspiring residents to shop locally and rewarding them with exciting prizes—all while increasing foot traffic and visibility for Allegany County’s local businesses.
Created by Allegany County Tourism in 2020, the Shop Small, Win Big campaign was initially intended as a creative pivot in response to COVID-19 limitations.
Ashli Workman, Director of Allegany County Tourism, explains, “We couldn’t advertise to our traditional markets in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and elsewhere because of the travel restrictions,” Workman said. “We turned inward and focused on encouraging our community to support local businesses, which had also struggled during the pandemic. What started as a temporary initiative grew into an annual highlight for residents and businesses alike.”
While Allegany County Tourism has since revived its out-of-county promotions, the Shop Small, Win Big campaign remains a strong annual initiative, complementing the department’s ongoing efforts to bolster small businesses.
The Shop Small, Win Big campaign encourages shoppers to submit receipts from participating local businesses on Tourism’s website. Each form, submitted between November 29, 2024 (Black Friday) through December 19, 2024, becomes an entry to win. Winners are selected every Thursday throughout the contest to receive a $50 Visa gift card, and a grand prize drawing on Friday, December 20, 2024, awards one lucky shopper a $550 Visa gift card.
Participation is free for all businesses within the county and only requires a sign-up form. Businesses across Allegany County—including key economic hubs like Frostburg and Cumberland, as well as surrounding towns—are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity.
“[Allegany County Tourism] turned inward and focused on encouraging our community to support local businesses, which had also struggled during the pandemic. What started as a temporary initiative grew into an annual highlight for residents and businesses alike.” - Ashli Workman, Director of Allegany County Tourism
To maximize its reach and spread the word to businesses across Allegany County, Shop Small, Win Big utilizes partnerships with local membership organizations and main street advocates, including the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Cumberland Business Association, the Cumberland Downtown Development Commission (CDDC), FrostburgFirst, and Canal Place Preservation and Development Authority. These institutions have helped the campaign grow its list of participating businesses year after year.
In 2023, Allegany County Tourism introduced a retailer competition to the campaign to incentivize businesses and encourage their engagement.
“The point of the contest was to reward consumers for shopping local, but we thought we’d do something new and reward the most participatory business, too,” said Workman. “Many of them step up to actively promote the campaign on their social media channels, websites, and through in-store signage, and we want to reward them for that.”
“We always tell our community members, ‘Be a visitor in your backyard.’ The Shop Small, Win Big campaign is a perfect chance for residents to explore their backyards in Allegany County and discover the unique, one-of-a-kind retailers that provide such incredible options.” - Ashli Workman, Director of Allegany County Tourism
The retailer competition awards the business with the most receipt submissions with a $250 and a half-page ad (valued at $900) in Allegany County Tourism’s annual Destination Guide, which is shared throughout Maryland and online. Every week, the tourism office emails the current top three businesses.
“It's a great way for us to stay connected to the local business community and inspire friendly competition,” adds Workman.
Ladybug Boutique and Gift Shop in Frostburg won the first retailer competition in 2023. Shop owner Jennifer Holloway said, “As a small business owner, this program helped me entice more customers to shop and was a low-effort promotion for my business. I've seen firsthand the incredible impact that community support can have. I’m proud that Allegany County values our role in the community. This program is a wonderful demonstration of that support.”
“As a small business owner, this program helped me entice more customers to shop and was a low-effort promotion for my business. I've seen firsthand the incredible impact that community support can have.” - Jennifer Holloway, Owner of Ladybug Boutique and Gift Shop
Deirdre Robertson, Executive Director for FrostburgFirst, remarks, “The Shop Small, Win Big campaign is essential to FrostburgFirst's holiday marketing efforts. As the designated main street for downtown Frostburg, we organize multiple events, promotions, and community outreach to encourage a ‘shop small’ mentality during the holiday season, and Allegany County Tourism's incentivized campaign is an invaluable resource in creating collaborative, regional awareness of the importance of shopping small.”
She continues, “For small businesses struggling to keep up with holiday marketing, the campaign is a free, easy way to participate in a larger promotional effort and drive traffic to their businesses.”
This year, shoppers in Cumberland can enjoy a newly renovated Baltimore Street, which officially opened in November 2024. The redesigned main street adds new energy to Cumberland, and the Shop Small, Win Big promotion is poised to capitalize on this excitement.
“As the designated main street organization for downtown Frostburg, [FrostburgFirst] organizes multiple events, promotions, and community outreach to encourage a ‘shop small’ mentality during the holiday season, and Allegany County Tourism's incentivized campaign is an invaluable resource in creating collaborative, regional awareness of the importance of shopping small.” - Deirdre Robertson, Executive Director for FrostburgFirst
Melinda Kelleher, Executive Director of the Cumberland Downtown Development Commission, said, “The Shop Small Win Big promotion has been really successful the past few years, and we expect the same or better this year with the newly renovated downtown and Baltimore Street. The promotion gives small businesses an extra shot in the arm as people have an additional incentive to shop locally—the chance to win amazing prizes!”
Allegany County Tourism plans to continue the campaign as long as it provides value for local businesses. In the future, they want to grow the list of participating businesses and see more restaurants use the campaign as a vehicle to sell their merchandise and gift cards.
“We hope to create an experience where residents can go out to eat, shop, and explore while being rewarded for every single purchase they make in our communities,” Workman said.
Tourism also sees the Shop Small, Win Big campaign as an important part of its mission to enhance the quality of life in Allegany County. “At the heartbeat of tourism, we aim to increase destination awareness and drive revenue through visitation. Still, much of our work is about cultivating a strong quality of life in Allegany County,” adds Workman.
“The Shop Small Win Big promotion has been really successful, and we expect the same or better this year with the newly renovated Baltimore Street. The promotion gives small businesses an extra shot in the arm as people have an additional incentive to shop locally—the chance to win amazing prizes!” - Melinda Kelleher, Executive Director of the Cumberland Downtown Development Commission
“We always tell our community members, ‘Be a visitor in your backyard.’ The Shop Small, Win Big campaign is a perfect chance for residents to explore their backyards in Allegany County and discover the unique, one-of-a-kind retailers that provide such incredible options,” Workman emphasizes. “They’re worth exploring, not only during the holidays but all year long.”
Shoppers can submit receipts from the fifty-six participating stores here. It also isn’t too late for other Allegany County businesses to sign up for the Shop Small, Win Big campaign! Click here to become a participating business for a free, low-risk opportunity to drive sales this holiday season.
