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Membership Updates
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winchesterchamber.com
viewing traffic is growing rapidly
Advertise and get your logo and web link on the Chamber Website now at
info at ADSPACE
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Chamber Office hours
Monday-Friday 9am - 1pm
781.729.8870
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Display your business cards and brochures
in the Chamber Office
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Chamber members can list their events on the Chamber Website Bulletin Board for free. Send info to Bulletin Board
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Gift certificates are available at the following four banks shop locally - over 60 participating Chamber members
If you are not already listed on the Chamber gift certificate, contact [email protected]
Add your company's name to our growing gift certificate page on the web - it's free at
gift certificates
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Executive Director's Message
Just a quick reminder that we are putting the final touches on the 9th Annual WHW Spring Fundraising Event: "THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS" Thursday, April 4th, 2013 Burlington Marriott 6:30pm Cocktail Hour Begins The event is completely sold out thanks to the great planning and organizational skills of Dot Butler, Kimberly Miles and their fabulous team of helpers. We look forward to another successful fundraising event. We will Introduce our DAZZLING DESIGNER DUOS:
Aggie Baker/Catherine Baker Annie Baker/Megan Parsons Jackie Burchard/Melinda Stone Mary Ellen Rourke-Falvey/Jill Abrahamsen Kara Spelman/Meredith Conway
Cathy Alexander Executive Director, Winchester Chamber of Commerce ________________________________________________________________
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Annual Meeting For Winchester Chamber-April 11th
Combined luncheon
with the Rotary Club of Winchester
at the Church of the Epiphany - 70 Church St
April 11 at noon $15 pp
Oncologist at Winchester Hospital
or by sending payment to 25 Waterfield Rd. Winchester
We will announce the
Recipient of the Citizen of the Year Award
Save the date - May 15, 2013 at the Burlington Marriott for the celebration |
Member Perspective ~ Pairings Wine and Food
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On April Fools' Day, Pairings Wine and Food, my family-owned wine store, celebrated its third year of business in Winchester. It has been a rewarding experience for my husband Ray and
me to become involved in the Winchester community and to get to know so many Winchester residents and business owners; at times, almost like a large, extended family! And, being a member of the Chamber of Commerce family has helped me to expand my support of small businesses, which I believe contribute to making this community vibrant and distinct.
Local businesses provide substantial support to community organizations and, in return, deserve and need support from Winchester residents. So, I ask Winchester residents' one thing:
Before going to a big box store or the mall, or before shopping on the internet, stop and think about whether the product or service you are looking for might be available at a local business. With the multitude of online or mass-marketed retail and service options, many of us forget to shop locally. Tremendous value, unique items and superior personal service exist right in our own community and we hope that you will experience that for yourself.
Pairings Wine and Food
600 Main Street
Winchester, MA 01890 781-721-9463 ____________________________________________________
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Member Spotlight - Eric Keough owner of KidsFootstop
Kids Footstop opened its doors in March 2011. It is a uniqu e children's footwear store that caters to kids' feet - infant through grade school. We focus on sizing and properly fitting children in an atmosphere that is fun for kids and relaxing for the parents. Prior to launching Kids Footstop, I had never worked in retail or the footwear space so the first question I typically get is, "Why on earth did you open a kids' shoe store?"
It didn't start out that way. After graduating from Tufts University as a Mechanical Engineer, I earned my chops at GE Aircraft Engines designing parts for Apache helicopters. Then I attended grad school and obtained my MBA in Marketing. Most of my career was spent working in Boston as an advertising-exec developing and managing traditional & digital marketing programs for clients like AT&T, FedEx and Gillette.
Fifteen years in the ad game took its toll. I grew weary of the travel and long hours. My wife had given birth to twin boys and I was lucky to see them once a week. During the long flights I started researching ideas for a small business. The Winchester schools were growing each year and more and more young families were making Winchester their home. When a space in the Center became available I hired a consultant and made the leap.
Getting the business off the ground in the first six months was challenging. But fortunately I joined the Chamber of Commerce and met some terrific mentors and friends. My neighbors from Book Ends, Winchester Jewelers, Carole Kitchen & Bath, and Elegant Affair have all been critical in the success of my business. Whether it's answering a question about sales or sharing marketing ideas for a new campaign, the relationships I forged through the Chamber have been invaluable. Many of the members have been doing business in this town for a number of years and have a wealth of knowledge to share.
Cathy Alexander, the Executive Director, with the support of her Associate Director Janet Wolbrom do an amazing job of developing and executing new ideas to promote the businesses in the Chamber. The Midnight Madness event has been Kids Footstop's single busiest day of the year two years ru nning. Whether you are new to the Chamber or have been a member for years, I highly recommend you attend one of the monthly meetings and get involved Who knows, maybe you will find a new business mentor or an idea for getting new customers.
Cheers Eric Keough KidsFootstop.com 553 Main Street Winchester
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Save the Date - Citizen of the Year Event 2013
May 15 at the Burlington Marriott
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Exhibitor registration is now open for the 32nd annual
Winchester Town Day, to be held on Saturday, June 1, 2013!
To register, please go to www.townday.org and click on the Exhibitor Application and Brochure links at the bottom of the home page. Print and complete the application and send it with your payment to the address below. Please note that applications received after May 17th must contain the $75 late fee to be processed and are also subject to availability. We have sold out of space for the last three years!
Thank you for your past participation in Town Day. We look forward to seeing you again this year _______________________________________
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Pairings Wine & Food owners share
their concerns with the Selectmen
It has come to our attention that
Craft Beer Cellars of Belmont, Massachusetts is applying to open a beer and wine store in Winchester. We are concerned about this and want to share our perspective. We believe that three liquor stores in Winchester more than adequately meet the demand in Winchester. Another store will likely make it impossible for all of the three existing stores to survive.
We believe that local stores preserve the character of the Winchester community. The three wine and beer stores in town are all owned and operated locally, devoted to customer service and supporting the local community in many ways. For instance, in
2012 Pairings Wine and Food made almost 50 contributions to local schools, sports and other organizations in Winchester.
Further, Pairings Wine and Food supports the community by carrying local products in our store, including those from 102 Massachusetts entities (26 from Winchester and abutting towns) including stores, small producers, artists, distributors, creameries, even craft beers and liquors, etc. This supports the community in a way that a franchise is not likely to do.
In contrast, Craft Beer Cellars is attempting to become a franchise throughout New England and beyond and has asked for public donations to help them. We doubt that a franchise will have the same kind of involvement in the community, There are a multitude of more worthwhile venues - like the Winchester Library, the Winton Club, the Winchester Multicultural Network, the ABC to name a few - to support over a commercial franchise for beer.
Furthermore, all three stores have craft beers and one of the existing stores has a very large selection, so that, in our opinion, another store would be duplicative without adding value.
For all of these reasons, we ask that the Board of Selectmen reject the application for a beer and wine license to Craft Beer Cellars when their application comes before them.
Lori and Ray Schaefer
Pairings Wine and Food
600 Main Street
Winchester, MA 01890
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Please join the Women's Innovate Network For:
"Online Secrets"
5 Simple Keys to Grow Your Business Using the Internet
with Jeannie Spiro, the Career Woman's Online Business and Marketing Coach Thursday, April 4th 9:00am-10:30am Woburn Hilton2 Forbes Road Woburn, MA event details and registration
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Obstacle Course Race Preparation
Who: anyone looking to do an OCR from 5k to 10k+
When: Saturdays at 11am
Where: Mountain Strength CrossFit
70 Cross St Winchester, MA 01890 Cost: pay per class $20/class
Register at mountainstrength.com
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Calendar of Events 2013 ____________________________________________________ April 4 Women Helping Women There's No Business Like Show Business at the Burlington Marriott SOLD OUT ________________________________________________
April 11 Annual Meeting with Rotary Club of Winchester Noon - The Church of the Epiphany 2013 Citizen of the Year will be announced _________________________________________________________ May 1 Chamber Board Meeting Noon Chamber Office 25 Waterfield Road _________________________________________________________
May 15 Citizen of the Year - Burlington Marriott 6:30pm
_________________________________________________________ June 1 Town Day
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781.729.8870
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Deadline for Chamber Newsletter submissions is 27th of each month ____________________________________
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