San Francisco, CA—Mayor Edwin M. Lee today launched the third year of the Shop & Dine in the 49 initiative challenging residents to do all their shopping and dining within the 49 square miles of San Francisco this holiday season and all year long. The launch is based upon the success of the pilot program for Shop & Dine in the 49 in 2014.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our local economy. They add character to our city and enliven our neighborhoods while employing approximately 326,000 residents,” said Mayor Lee. San Francisco has a low unemployment rate – 3.4 percent. In order to continue to build and maintain a strong economic foundation, I am challenging residents and businesses to ensure our City’s shared prosperity benefits every single San Franciscan.”

San Francisco has over 90,000 registered businesses including more than 7,700 restaurants, cafes, food stores, and beverage establishments. A one percent increase in spending at our local restaurants and retailers would generate an additional $100 million for the local San Francisco economy. Shopping local creates 57 jobs for every $10 million in consumer spending, according to Advocates for Independent Business (AIB), a coalition of trade associations and other organizations that represent locally owned, independent businesses serving a consumer market.

"Shopping and supporting local - whether it’s your mom and pop clothing store, neighborhood cafe or local movie theater - all of it makes our community feel like a home,” said Ron Benitez, co-owner of ASMBLY HALL. “San Francisco, and Fillmore Street, is a very popular destination, ASMBLY HALL is a chance to showcase the wide variety of creativity and talent of our local artisans, and providing that local flavor and story behind the product gives customers a sense of being someplace special and invested in the product they purchase.  More than 50% of our assortment in our store is locally sourced, designed and manufactured in the city. Coming together as a community is the beginning. Keeping together as a community is the progress. Working together as a community is success.”

Shop & Dine in the 49 is a public-private partnership developed by the Mayor’s Office with the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, Shop Small, Shop Small Saturday, and the Office of Small Business in partnership with local business groups including: SF Travel, SF Made, Hotel Council, Committee on Jobs, Golden Gate Restaurant Association, SF Chamber of Commerce, Golden Gate Business Association the Council of District Merchants, San Francisco Locally Owned Merchants Alliance, sf.citi and the Labor Alliance.

“Shop & Dine in the 49 is a buy local initiative which focuses on bringing spending back into our diverse neighborhoods. By shopping, eating, drinking, playing, and utilizing local services within our neighborhoods, we ensure unique corridors and local businesses remain thriving, successful, and we help to support a livable wage,” said Todd Rufo, Director of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development.

Shop & Dine in the 49 encourages consumers to buy local and encourages local businesses to support one another. It also challenges large companies to flex their purchasing power and invest in locally made and grown products, services, and other goods from smaller businesses with SF Biz Connect. SF Biz Connect has over 200 local businesses and approximately 40 pledged partners who are committed to buying local. The pledge businesses have an estimated impact of $1.92 million of spending that has been directed to local businesses.www.sfbizconnect.com.

Residents, visitors, and businesses can participate in the Shop & Dine in the 49 campaign in the following ways:

For Residents and Visitors:

• Take the Shop & Dine in the 49 challenge and shop local this holiday season;
• Submit a picture of you, your friends or family shopping at your favorite local business on Twitter, and Facebook and tag with #shopdine49

• Visit www.shopdine49.com for information on where residents and visitors can shop and dine during the holiday season;

• Look for the Shop & Dine in the 49 decal in local store windows throughout San Francisco
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For Small Businesses:

• Contact your merchant association or Community Benefit District to get your Shop & Dine in the 49 window decal or contact the Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) at oewd@sfgov.org; and
• Go to www.shopdine49.com and download the merchant toolkit, which has prepopulated social media posts, post cards, posters, and flyers as well as templates for businesses to send to employees
• Submit a picture of your local business with your Shop & Dine in the 49 decal on Twitter, and Facebook and tag with #shopdine49.

This year, Small Business Saturday is celebrated on November 26^th, encouraging residents of San Francisco to visit and shop at all their favorite local small businesses. In honor of Shop Small Saturday we will be lighting the City Hall dome blue.

The Mayor also announced a holiday construction moratorium downtown where 50 percent of the frontage is devoted to business. The routine moratorium reduces disruption and impacts to commercial businesses and shoppers, making it more convenient for residents to travel to local businesses. Beginning Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 24^th. Contractors will resume normal work and construction hours after the New Year. The moratorium is imposed on a yearly basis by the Municipal Transportation Agency and applies to blocks in the central downtown shopping districts and elsewhere in the City where more than half of its properties are business establishments. Emergencies and urgent matters are excluded from this moratorium.

 

Visit Shop & Dine in the 49 website

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11 21 2016 Press Release Shop and Dine in the 49 -Final.pdf