The first big item of news this week is that the sign-up sheets and signs are printed for the City-Wide Yard Sale. You would not believe how many calls come in each week from folks from out of town asking when this yard sale is. The number of people that come into the area to search for hidden treasures is amazing. So don’t miss out. Time is of the essence because we need to get the maps printed once everyone is signed up.
If you are planning on doing a yard sale, come to the Caribou Area Chamber of Commerce office in the Nylander building at 657 Main Street to sign up. The best times to find me here are between 9 a.m. and noon and then from 2-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
I realize that people work during the day and it might not be easy to get in here during those hours. And so Saturday, March 16, I will open the office from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. I will probably do that the following week on March 23 as well. The deadline for being an officially sponsored yard sale is April 19, 2013.
The price of sponsoring your yard sale is $15 for a single family, $20 for a multiple family sale (3 or more), $20 for service organizations, $20 for member businesses and $30 for non-member businesses.
Speaking of member businesses, I visited United Insurance – The Kieffer Agency this week. I also visited RE/MAX and Crown Equipment this week. Their impressive stories can be found on the Facebook page, with pictures, of course.
Speaking of that Facebook page, that site is now getting consistently over 4,000 hits a week. And the cool thing about social media is that once people visit, they “share” the stories found on our Facebook page to their own pages where they themselves have dozens, if not hundreds of hits. And so information about our members fans out electronically in ways that were impossible before.
A couple of members I have talked to have told me that after their story appeared on the Facebook page, a number of people say, “Hey! I saw you on Facebook!” Again, the magic of social media is simply unimaginable.
A couple of years ago, the Chamber put together a Caribou map and the map goes everywhere. It is at the visitor centers around the state, it goes in every information package sent out from this office, it is at hotels and motels. The map is everywhere and one of the most effective tools we have.
Unfortunately, the map was supposed to last five years when it was put out two years ago. And then we had a little thing called the Caribou Connector road completed. It has taken a while for this new section of road to make it onto people’s GPS devises. It also makes the map obsolete. Members who receive out-of-town customers relate that their customers are getting lost on the connector road and are heading to The Valley. When they double back, they find themselves back in Presque Isle. That’s not good.
And so I met with two local businesses recently to get quotes on redoing the map. I hope to have a quote within the week on what it will cost us. It is not in the budget, but if we sell ads for the map, it should pay for itself. These will be one of the most valuable ads we sell because, as I said, this map goes everywhere.
One new feature of the map I will insist upon is that it has a downtown element. Kate McCartney of the Old Iron Inn tells me that she likes to send her guests on walking tours and she had to make her own downtown map because none of our maps properly depict that go-around thingy we have on Herschel, Sweden, Water and Main Streets. If you are not from here, such a street circulation can be confusing.
A downtown map can feature our downtown businesses where you can get a sweet at Sweet Dreams Candy & Bake Shoppe or a gift at the Brambleberry Market or at Monica’s Scandinavian Imports. You can shop for bargains at The Cubby or at Expect More Dollar Store. They can pay their respects at our Memorial Park or sit and look at the flowers and listen to the running water in the gristmill park. Plus, visitors need to know where the caribou statue is for those photo ops!
Our 100-year-old Christmas cactus that belonged to the Nylander family and was donated by the Ketch family is blooming here in the office. Sure, it is a few months late, but anything that is 100 and can still throw out cheery blossoms is a sure pick-me-upper on another winter’s day.
Hey! Burger Boy was set to open for the season on March 12! Another sure sign of spring, eh? Look for pictures on our Facebook page.
The Chamber will participate in the grand opening of a new business (and new member) in the city. Located on 559 New Sweden Road, The Northern Lighthouse, Inc. will have an open house at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 2 as part of their grand opening festivities. I can’t wait to be there!
Good March snowmobile riding has lengthened the season out a bit after a slow start this winter. That is very good for our local economy and our members.
And lastly, but not leastly (yes, Word, I know that’s not a word), grand happy anniversary wishes go out to the Central Aroostook Association which has been a faithful member since 1996. Noyes Flower & Plant Shoppe also joined the Chamber in 1996. And, in 2009, The Farmhouse Greenhouse joined the Chamber. Happy Anniversary and thank you so much for your continued support!
William Tasker may be reached in the CACC office at 498-6156 or e-mail him at cacc@cariboumaine.net.
