SPEEDWAY — A new campaign from the Speedway Chamber of Commerce is hoping to encourage people to shop local and take advantage of special deals this holiday season.
20 local businesses are participating in the 12 Days of Speedway campaign running until Dec. 24.
Marie Hall, the owner of 3 Sisters and a Trunk says this year has been especially difficult with the Indianapolis 500 being postponed. The race in August only resulted in one-fourth of normal sales.
"I would say my Christmas sales are at 20 percent," Hall said. "It's very low. There is enough to pay the overhead. That is it. People don't want to go out. They are afraid to go out. People are buying less. I really feel they are buying less. They just want to get through this."
Dennis Vervynckt, the director of sales at the Courtyard by Marriott on Crawfordsville Road, says their number of guests is down considerably. While the holidays are typically a slower time for the hotel industry, Vervynckt hopes providing a lower rate as part of the campaign will encourage people to visit.
"For us, it's providing a clean safe room for people to come if they have family members coming from out of town," Vervynckt said. "They don't want them staying there, close contact with grandparents or aunts and uncles. This will reduce that contact, they can save money with this special. Or you know what? All kids are at home doing e-learning, bring them in here and let them swim for the day."
Click here to learn more about the 20 businesses participating in the campaign.
