While the exact numbers are hard to pin down, thousands of small local businesses closed their doors in the last year, and according to some studies about 60% of them never reopened. While some states saw much harsher restrictions than Indiana, we at Public Service saw the effects hit our members hard, and we felt called to do something about it.
Throughout the first months of the statewide lockdowns, we implemented a contest for our members, a contest where we randomly picked winners to have their transactions refunded if they spent money at locally owned businesses. The outpouring of support that our members showed for their favorite Fort Wayne spots was overwhelming and proved what we at Public Service CU have always known: This city is full of people who care about their community.
Inspired to continue to help our fellow local businesses, we have expanded our contest into a long-term program. Buy Local Spend Local was created with one purpose in mind: To support local businesses and keep Fort Wayne’s economy thriving. To do that, we decided to incentivize people to get away from their routines of Starbucks and Amazon and support the little guy instead.
Here’s how we’re doing that:
When a Public Service Credit Union member makes a purchase using their PSCU credit or debit card at a locally owned participating business, they are automatically entered to win. We randomly select winners every month, and those winners can earn up to $35 back on their purchase. To take things a step further, we reached out to businesses in the area to establish a connection with them. The businesses that responded to our mission will receive added promotion that go above and beyond the simple recommendation to shop locally. Some businesses even went as far as to partner with the program by offering discounts to Public Service members.
The following businesses are offering great discounts to PSCU members:
- Mitchell’s Sports & Neighborhood Grill – Ask for the 10% discount when paying with your PSCU debit or credit card.
- Stop and Shred – Ask for the 10% discount when paying with your PSCU debit or credit card.
- The Tube Car Wash – Ask for $4 Off VIP Wash when you pay with a PSCU debit or credit card.
- Three Rivers Dance Academy – Ask to get your first month’s tuition FREE when you enroll! (Limit one class).
Other participating businesses:
| Bradley Gough Diamonds | Rich’s Cafe | Mocha Lounge |
| Orchard Gallery | DeBrand Fine Chocolates | Empower Energy |
| Fort Wayne Tincaps |
The U.S. Small Business Association and the U.S. Department of Labor cite the fact that for every $100 you spend at local businesses, $68 will stay in the community. Small businesses account for 65% of new jobs. Most importantly, they are owned and operated by your friends and neighbors. This is what it’s going to take from all of us as a community to not only weather this storm, but to build a brighter future for everyone who lives here.
At Public Service Credit Union, we care about local businesses because we are a small local business, in fact, we are Fort Wayne’s oldest and 7th largest credit union. We have two locations in Fort Wayne and membership is open to anyone who lives or works in Allen County. Credit Unions were founded on the idea of people helping people and Buy Local Spend Local gives us the opportunity to help even more people in our community.
To learn more, visit the Buy Local Spend Local website
We encourage any businesses that want to participate to contact Robbie Boswell, manager of the branch on Old Trail Road.
Robbie: rboswell@mypscu.com (260)432-3433 ext. 1115