For Immediate Release

October 19, 2022

NEWS RELEASE

Selkirk Biz is bringing back a rebranded retail extravaganza “Selkirk Biz BACK TO BLACK Weekend” this November 18-20!

Getting back to business and a head start to the seasonal shopping rush

October 19, 2022 – A return to the very popular weekend of retail offerings is coming back in November 2022. With the pandemic health regulations lifted earlier this year, Selkirk Biz is planning a revamped event to help support local retailers and stimulate our local economy. Retailers are ready to get back in the black with a new spin on what was formerly “Selkirk Biz Black Friday Weekend”. Consumers will not only get the great retail offerings from the participating businesses, they will also get a chance to win a spectacular prize package with the “passport” contest. These are some of the many reasons to shop in person plus think local when it comes to your holiday shopping season.

Selkirk Biz first started this weekend retail initiative back in 2013 as a way to keep consumers north of the US border and north of the perimeter highway. The US shopping trips by Canadian shoppers, especially for Black Friday following the US Thanksgiving holiday, had become a tradition for some. With the higher exchange rates, the timing was good to create an attractive alternative to keep shoppers home. Winnipeg retailers and big box chains were also in the Black Friday promotions, so Selkirk Biz expanded with an entire weekend promotion featuring jaw dropping specials. This attracted media attention and it was featured on CBC national news and CJOB & CBC radio. Executive Director Sheri Skalesky adds, “At the time, we were leading the way in adapting the Black Friday retail day into more of a community weekend event. Keeping shoppers here meant rallying our retailers together to create hype and offer savings that couldn’t be ignored. The retailers answered that call and went above and beyond with amazing specials. With the passport contest also driving customers through the doors, we had the recipe for a successful initiative that not only seen businesses reach record sales but also brought in new customers. Other communities saw the success we had and reached out to us to find out more. This was a great compliment to our organization that others wanted to emulate what we did”. Sadly, 2019 was the last year the promotion was held due to the imminent COVID-19 public health regulations to come in March 2020.

Fast forward to November 2022 and the event is finally back. It will run one week earlier than US Black Friday weekend and Holiday Alley. Skalesky adds, “With Holiday Alley planned for November 24-27, it made perfect sense to move the retail event up one week. We will have two weekends keeping people here and bringing in new people to the community. Selkirk Biz will be focusing on driving traffic to our retailers, which is one of the ways a chamber of commerce can help. Holiday Alley will ring in the holiday season all weekend long and Santa Claus will be on hand to help out. Holiday Alley is an amazing community event and we are extremely fortunate to have such a wonderful holiday celebration right here in historic downtown Selkirk. Two weekends of attraction in our area is great for our local business community.” The Holiday Alley annual winter festival brings art, light, sound, creativity and culture to the heart of Selkirk’s old downtown and to Red River North since 2018. Spirited by downtown redevelopment and business rejuvenation, Holiday Alley boasts more than 130,000 installed LED light bulbs on 40 buildings, community events and art-forward entertainment. For more information on Holiday Alley, please visit holidayalley.ca or you can also find them on Instagram & Facebook.

Since March 2020, regular initiatives of Selkirk Biz were profoundly affected. No in-person events such as networking nights, Breakfast Before Business events, Speaker Series events, Summer Parade, Catfish Den or Business Awards were held due to public health regulations. For a chamber of commerce, these events and membership fees are how operating revenue is created to run the volunteer organization. Getting back to presenting these regular initiatives will help ensure Selkirk Biz can keep its doors open and continue helping their members and the business community. Selkirk Biz volunteers will be working hard at what they do best to ensure the retail event comeback will be a success for many years to come. With volunteer power limited, the organization is currently in discussion with other local community groups to transition the Santa Parade of Lights to a new host organization, another event that was not able to happen over the past two years. This will ensure the traditional holiday event is also continued for many years to come. Once this has been completed, the event will be deferred until that time and an announcement will be made.

Watch for the Selkirk Biz BACK TO BLACK Weekend posters, taking place November 18-20, 2022. Selkirk Biz website will have all the information you need to get involved and their social media platforms will be sharing it too. Also, pick up the November 17 edition of the Selkirk Record to see the promotion featured in their BACK TO BLACK WEEKEND section. If you are a retailer and wish to have your business included in this initiative or a consumer wanting to know more about it, please visit selkirkbiz.ca to check for official news and information.

We'd like to welcome Ladies of Justice as another new member to the Selkirk and District Chamber of commerce.

We'd like to welcome Valley Fiber as a new member to the Selkirk and District Chamber of commerce.

We'd like to welcome Life a Little Sweeter as a new member to the Selkirk and District Chamber of commerce.

Thank you to everyone who volunteered, sponsored, spectated, and participated in the 2022 Selkirk Biz Parade. Hope to see you all next year!