Safety Harbor is putting a new twist on shopping local this month, giving residents and visitors an incentive to explore businesses throughout the community.

The Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce has launched its Safety Harbor Passport Challenge, a month-long promotion running from Sept. 1 through Sept. 30. The free digital program encourages participants to visit participating businesses, earn points, and compete for prizes.

Rather than simply encouraging residents to spend money locally, the challenge gives shoppers a reason to discover businesses they may not normally visit.

Participants sign up digitally and check in at participating locations throughout the month. Each visit can earn points, and some businesses offer special deals or rewards.

The program includes a mix of restaurants, shops, coffee businesses, breweries, specialty stores, and other local establishments. According to the Chamber’s Passport Challenge platform, participating locations include Cold Stone Creamery, Crooked Thumb, The Pub, Paradise Restaurant, House of Petals, and Seersucker Sassy, among others. 

The Chamber describes the initiative as a way to support the businesses that help make Safety Harbor’s commercial district distinctive while encouraging people to explore more of the city.

The challenge also highlights a broader point about local economies: keeping customers and their dollars in the community can directly support independently operated businesses without relying on another government program or taxpayer-funded incentive.

The Passport Challenge is free to participate in and continues through Sept. 30. The Chamber says participants have more opportunities to win prizes as they visit additional locations and accumulate points.

For a community with a strong concentration of locally owned restaurants, shops, and service businesses, the program offers a relatively simple proposition: get out, try something new, and give local merchants a reason to keep their doors open.

Residents can find participating businesses and sign up through the Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce’s Passport Challenge.

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