'Beacon Bucks' to promote local businesses

Local activists, including Pete Seeger, are looking into printing a type of currency specifically to help promote local businesses. According to their press release, more than 50 small cities in USA and Canada have a “Local Currency.” In Ithaca, N.Y. now, many people shop and are paid, at least partly, in “Ithaca Hours”. About $50,000 worth are in circulation at any one time.

In Beacon the Riverpool Committee and the Incline Railway project on Mt. Beacon are considering printing pieces of paper slightly smaller than a dollar bill. On one side there may be a picture of the waterfront. On the other side a picture of Mt. Beacon. On both sides will be the words “Beautiful Beacon” and “This ticket will be good for riding in the Incline Railway when it is finished, and for swimming in the Riverpool At Beacon when it is built. The tickets will probably be known as “B—B’s”.

How much will they be worth in US dollars? This question will be decided at a conference in the Beacon Sioop Club on Tuesday, January 11th, at 5:30 PM. The conference will be attended by experts from Ithaca, and from the E.F.Schumacher society who can advise us on how to make the whole project succeed. If you want to attend the conference, call Offie Wortham at 831-2929, or Rene Vivo at 831—6756.

Comments

[Katie]

Don't they do that in strip clubs - print "boobie bucks" or something to use exclusively in their establishments to pay for lap dances or tic tacs or whatever? I seem to remember that from my dancing days...only kidding.

I guess I don't really get the idea. Do people find it difficult to use regular money? Are we hoping that using "novelty dollars" will add a thrill heretofore missing from the Beacon shopping experience?

Well, what the hell. I'm all for it even if I don't understand it. I say the B-B should feature Mount Beacon on one side and Bill Erlich on the other...

[Mike D]

Yes! Boobie Bucks! That will bring the "right" kind of people to Beacon. Seriously, it's kind of a chicken and egg kind of thing. What would make more people shop on Main St than go to Wal-Mart? If you could get your shopping done locally, would the convenience of Main St. outweigh the savings on Route 9? If you were able to buy gift certificates that could only be redeemed locally, would it work? Or is it another case of good intentions but not so great in practice?

[Nell-T]

From what I've heard, the idea is to get some $$ (B-B's) circulating that would encourage Main Street shopping...because you can ONLY spend them in town. I.e. you could pay the neighborhood kid who cuts your grass or shovels your driveway in B-B's and then they have to come spend it on Main Street instead of at Wal-Mart.

But, that said, in a lot of ways at this point, shopping locally is a philosphical decision. People either care about supporting the local community or it doesn't register on their scale of important things to do... Maybe that mind-change is a place to start... In a utopian world.

[katie]

It would be good if it worked. Anything that would encourage more people to stay local has to be a good thing. If it works for Ithaca, who knows...

[Memorial Parkie]

If I paid the kids who shoveled my driveway in B-Bs I think I'd find a shovel smashed through my window. And then I could use the remaining B-Bs at a glass repair shop on Main Street.

[Donald]

There was a similar local currency in the Haight in San Francisco when I lived there. The point there was to prevent resources flowing out of the community, and to encourage trading and bartering. Each merchant set the exchange value of their goods, and traded. They sought to do things outside the monetary system and create a community of cooperation. As far as Beacon can do that, it would be a genuine good. There was also no way at all of paying sales tax or tracking purchases. Haggling and and trading services instead of only money are encouraged. Another example of community over monetary system.

[myszia]

katie, you crack me up. i agree with you though...i don't quite get the idea proposed above, but i also don't know the exact details of how this would work. but, i did live in a town in jersey once that did something like this during the christmas season, and basically what they did was sell these unique, unreproduceable coins that could only be used in stores/restaurants in their town, they were $1, $5, $20 coins that were sold at a discount the more you bought, so it was like getting a 10, 20, 30 percent discount by buying locally. but it was the town that did it, not individuals or non-profit groups...but why not?!

if the shops in town are looking for more business, i know i would shop downtown more if maybe once a week stores stayed open really late, like 8 or 9pm. i find myself going to target around these hours during the week since they're open--and would *love* to replace that trip with one to main street instead!