IMGCAP(1)]
The chamber of commerce in the Chicago Lakeview East neighborhood is offering gift cards that local residents can use at 110 area stores, Maureen T. Martino, chamber executive director, tells CardLine. The chamber has been offering the card for about a year and has sold about $48,000 worth of cards, Martino says. Consumers pay no fees to purchase or use the cards, but they pay a $2.50 maintenance fee if they do not use them within a year. The nonprofit chamber offers the cards as a service to local merchants and does not charge businesses to accept them, Martino says. Having a local gift card promotes the local businesses and gets residents to think about shopping locally, Martino says. "It really keeps you grounded right around here," she says. "It also gives you a good feeling in regards to keeping your neighborhood vibrant." StoreFinancial Services LLC, a payments processor based in Overland Park, Kan., provides the processing and activation for the cards. StoreFinancial provides processing for more than 20 local organizations that promote local businesses in cities that include Boise, Idaho; Cincinnati; and Longmont, Colo., according to Amanda Hilliard, StoreFinancial marketing manager.
