Thursday is Thanksgiving, which means Black Friday and Small Business Saturday are right around the corner.
A new initiative is aiming to attract - and measure - more shoppers to downtown Wilmington this weekend.
Cultural tourism is growing, according to John Banks, Delaware’s Deputy Director for the Small Business Administration.
And that’s what the First State wants to capitalize on this holiday season – connecting holiday shoppers to small businesses along the state’s historic Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway.
That connection is taking place via Byway Bucks, coupons available for around 50 First State businesses.
The Underground Railroad Coalition member Debbie Martin says the Byway Bucks have been offered at different First State businesses for around a year, starting in Southbridge.
Martin says DelDOT’s Ann Gravatt brought the idea to Delaware.
"She went to a transportation meeting, and they took them on a tour and they handed out coupons on the bus and then they made a stop and they said go shop, and they did," Martin said.
Byway Bucks can be downloaded and presented to participating businesses via smartphone, or can be picked up at various other locations.
And the discounts the Bucks offer vary from business to business, too. At the Delaware Historical Society, the Byway Bucks provide for half off admission to their new museum.
Karen Kagelman is an Advancement Officer for the Delaware Historical Society, and she says the Byway Bucks partnership was a natural fit for them.
“We have educational programs about the underground railroad, and our new exhibition part of Delaware one state many stories is called journey to freedom and that also talks about Harriet Tubman and the underground railroad," Kagelman said.
In previous years, tools to measure the success of events in Wilmington like Small Business Saturday were limited.
Downtown Visions’ Lani Schweiger coordinates the annual event and says they’re trying something new this year.
“This year we got pedestrian counters," Schweiger said. "So we attach them to the lamp posts and we can track them that way. So we’re moving up in the world of technology.”
The counters help measure foot traffic on Market Street during events like Wilmington’s Small Business Saturday.
Schweiger says that before the counters, the only measure of success was talking to businesses after events.
The pedestrian counters were acquired a couple of months ago, and Schweiger says they plan to use them during farmer's markets and other events like the LadyBug Music festival next year.
Information about businesses participating in the Byway Bucks program is available here. More information about other events taking place in Wilmington during Small Business Saturday can be found here.
Starting on Black Friday, free two hour parking will be available in downtown Wilmington through New Years Day.
