Authority promoting downtown businesses
The Uniontown Downtown Business District Authority is running two advertising campaigns aimed at promoting Christmas shopping at downtown businesses.
One ad, which was published twice in recent additions of the Dominion Post of Morgantown, W.Va., generated phone calls to some of the businesses that participated in the campaign, Donna Holdorf, authority chairwoman, told board members on Monday.
The colored display ad contains a map of downtown with numbers marking the locations of business that helped sponsor the ad and a list of those businesses, which are displaying window signs that contain a copy of the map and their numbers, Main Street manager Jeff McLaughlin said.
A mistake appeared in the ad in its first publication on Dec. 6, so the paper published the corrected version for free on Sunday, Holdorf said, adding that some of the participating businesses received calls from people who saw the ad.
The ad is scheduled to appear again on Thursday and Dec. 20.
The authority is using a $10,000 grant from the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau to pay for part of the ad’s cost, McLaughlin said.
The second ad will appear on the front page of Friday’s Herald-Standard.
The ad is a “Shopping Pass” sticker that consumers can peel and take to participating businesses that will be offering various specials on Saturday only, McLaughlin said.
An ad on the front page of Section B in Sunday’s paper promoted the campaign.
In other business, board members said the annual “Home for the Holidays” event on Dec. 6 was a success.
“You guys did a phenomenal job,” said board member Bernard John.
The parade drew a huge crowd and a parade of children lined up to visit Santa Claus in Storey Square, Holdorf said.
The Veterans of Foreign Was Post 8543 band and numerous church choirs performed beautiful music, she said.
“The (Fayette Central Railroad) train was packed,” John said.
“It was a great day,” Holdorf said.