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Mayor Lee Launches Shop & Dine in The 49 Holiday Challenge to Support Local Businesses

Mayor Challenges Residents to Shop & Dine Locally for Holidays; Share Their San Francisco Shopping & Dining Moments on Social Media; Mayor Highlights 49 Holiday Events within 49 Square Miles of City &

Mayor Edwin M. Lee today launched his 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. Mayor Lee announced the new Citywide campaign in the Castro neighborhood with District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener, local merchants and small business leaders.

“Our small business and neighborhood commercial corridors are the lifeblood of San Francisco and each of us can make a big difference in keeping them vibrant by choosing to eat and shop local this holiday season,” said Mayor Lee. “Our residents are sophisticated shoppers and diners that understand the value and quality of goods that they buy and the food that they eat, and I encourage all our residents to take my Shop & Dine in the 49 challenge this holiday season.”

“San Francisco’s small businesses are the heart and soul of our neighborhoods and commercial corridors,” said Supervisor Wiener. “Shop & Dine in the 49 honors and recognizes these businesses and all they contribute to our City and our neighborhoods. I can’t think of a better way to give back to the community and to ensure the continued vibrancy of our neighborhoods than to shop and dine locally.”

Shop & Dine in the 49 is an initiative developed by the Mayor’s Office with the Office of Economic and Workforce Development and the Office of Small Business in partnership with local business groups including: SF Travel, SF Made, Golden Gate Restaurant Association, SF Chamber of Commerce, the Council of District Merchants, and San Francisco Locally Owned Merchants Alliance.

San Francisco has over 90,000 businesses including more than 7,700 restaurants, cafes, food stores, and beverage establishments that employ approximately 100,000 local residents. According to the Controller’s Office, a 1 percent increase in spending at restaurants and retailers in the neighborhood corridors would generate an additional $100 million for our local economy. Shopping local creates 57 jobs for every $10 million in consumer spending compared to online shopping which creates only 14 jobs for every $10 million in 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.

To support local businesses and local jobs, Mayor Lee launched www.shopdine49.com as the hub of this holiday campaign and announced a social media campaign with hashtag #shopdine49 and encourages residents, visitors and businesses to participate in the Shop & Dine in the 49 campaign in the following ways:

For Residents and Visitors:
•    Take the Shop and 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, Instagram, and or Facebook and tag with #shopdine49 and the winning submission will be selected to join Mayor Lee shopping at a local San Francisco business;
•    From tree and menorah lightings to arts and crafts fairs, the launch of www.shopdine49.com features 49 Citywide events throughout the City 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 this holiday season; and
•    Discover all the diverse neighborhoods throughout the City.

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
•    Submit a picture of your local business with your Shop & Dine in the 49 decal on Twitter, Instagram, and or Facebook and tag with #shopdine49 and the winning submission will be selected for a shopping trip by Mayor Lee and local leaders to the winning business submission.

“Local businesses throughout our city offer those one of a kind options that San Franciscans should take advantage of this holiday season,” said Cliff’s Variety Store Co-Owner Terry Asten Bennett. “You’ll have a great time in the neighborhoods and help support our shopping districts that make our city so unique. It benefits our economy and our communities.”

“Shop & Dine in the 49 is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and support San Francisco’s one of kind establishments,” said Monetta White, Owner of 1300 on Fillmore and President of the Lower Fillmore Merchants Association in the Western Addition. “When you support a local business you help drive the local economy, create jobs, and strengthen a local business’ bottom line. So come on out and support your local shops and restaurants this holiday season.”

The Shop & Dine in the 49 initiative will extend beyond the holiday season and into the year. It will challenge residents and consumers to celebrate special occasions by shopping at local businesses. The challenge will also include a Business to Business (B2B) campaign that encourages local companies to purchase locally made and grown products, services, and other goods. For more information on the Mayor’s Shop & Dine in the 49 initiative, go to: www.shopdine49.com.

The Mayor also announced a holiday construction moratorium downtown and on major commercial corridors where 50 percent of the frontage is devoted to business. The routine moratorium reduces disruption and impacts to commercial businesses and shoppers. Beginning Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 27th, construction projects that impact the roads and traffic at high pedestrian and vehicular corridors will stop between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. 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.