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Last year, the Chamber decided to nvert the annual campaign into a yearâ€" nd promotion, and developed a numâ€" r of promotional tools, including a go and seasonally themed variants, d bold green support materials. Local erchants were encouraged to incorpoâ€" by Stephanie Henderson fter more than a year, the Shop Oakville Campaign initiated by the Oakville Chamber of mmerce has been a worthwhile proâ€" t, Chamber representatives say. The Shop Oakville committee, comâ€" sed of representatives from Business provement Areas and various ville shopping malls, is about to reâ€" uate the program, according to comâ€" ttee chair, Randy Lalonde. Shop ville was introduced in 1986 when a ey revealed that 55 cents of every llar was being spent outside of kville. The committee meets this ek finalize the findings of a recent ey. "We need to reassess where we‘re ing, and tighten up our direction," he "Some things worked better than othâ€" "I don‘t remember the last time I laughed so hard. It was so nice to go out and do something different". Julie H., Oakville "First rate club. First rate entertainment. I‘ll be back". A mind boggling presentation where members of the audience volunteer to create the most amazing and hilarious stage show you will ever see. "This show was great! What a fabulous and different night out". ADVERTISING FEATURE WATCH THE MAPLE LEAFS ON OAKVILLE‘S BIGGEST AND BEST SCREEN! â€" F The HYPNOTIC ARTISTRY of FRIDAY, MAY 27" A Place For Grown Ups To Go 11:00 am to 1:00 am D A I L Y DINNER AND SHOW PACKAGE RJl ) Proudly Presents The HYPNOTIC ARTISTRY of Katherine W., Burlington Peter R., Oakville "Oakville Place, for example, is comâ€" peting with major malls in Mississauga and Burlington. After a point, the boundaries between communities here start to blur. We need to promote what‘s While continuing to promote local loyalty, Brenda Kempel, who took over as the Chamber‘s executive director last year following similar work in the tourist towns of St. Jacob and Elmira, says part of the solution is to market the many benefits of shopping in Oakville to outsiders, in effect encouraging "reverse cross border shopping." "Five years ago, cross border shopâ€" ping in the U.S. was a big concern. The dollar was at 80 cents US, and there was an advantage. Now, you have to drive to the border, pay GST on what you bring back, and an American dollar costs $1.40 Canadian. That‘s a fifty per cent difference." rate the logo in their ads, and local newspapers have been asked to use the logo as a space filler. Lalonde says a 1992 survey indicatâ€" ed that 70 per cent of each dollar is now spent in Oakville, a fact he considers "pretty darn good." He suspects that the remaining 30 per cent goes to businesses such as the large discount stores located on the Mississauga border. Only °3y /~f//i, The executive director says the Chamber is attempting to focus on "the pogitives," while keeping an eye on the future. She wants to see more consultaâ€" tion with local retailers on the direction of future development within the town. As for the future of the committee, Kempel says she is sure it will live on, while tightening its focus on "what we can do, and should do, to increase local business." "The planning of the Uptown Core is a major issue for us. I worry about Oakville becoming like many American cities where there are half empty places on every major corner. There are so many businesses here now; we are already our own worst competition." special about Oakville, like the amazing downtown core and Bronte. When I first came here, the downtown really capâ€" tured my interest." Kempel feels Oakville is "missing the boat" where major tourism is conâ€" cerned. "What do tourists want to do most? Shop! The Eaton Centre is the number one tourist attraction in Canada," she argues. "Tourism is at forefront of our new study, and it should be â€" tourism is a growth industry in this province." %fl\"' ) Brenda Kempel, executive director of the Oakville Chamber of Commerce, po with Carol Fougere of Menasco Aerospace, who acts as liaison director to 1 Chamber‘s Shop Oakville Committee. (Photo by Riziero Vertolli) ASPECIAL PRESENTATION OF l MB ORMATION AenTRE wA B I