Bob Zuckerman of the South Orange Village Center Alliance awarded a $500 grand prize package to local shopper Karla Braithwaite on Tuesday in the culmination of the Alliance’s Small Business Saturday “Shop Small” contest.
To encourage more local spending, the Alliance organized the gift package giveaway contest: To win, shoppers needed to submit $25 or more in receipts from purchases made on Saturday, November 29 — or Small Business Saturday — at South Orange Village Center merchants.
Braithwaite — a 38-year resident of South Orange — won $500 in gift cards from top South Orange retailers and businesses (see the list below).
Runners-up Leslie Gilman and Eben Levy each won $100 worth of gift certificates.
Zuckerman said the contest was a great success for merchants as well as the contest winners. “More than 230 people turned in receipts,” said Zuckerman, who added that key Village Center retailers such as Sparkhouse Kids, Kitchen a la Mode and Kimaya Kama all reported stronger Small Business Saturday sales than last year.
The gift certificates for the winner and runners-up came from the following South Orange Village Center businesses:
- Kitchen a la Mode
- Sparkhouse
- Bunny’s Sports Bar
- CycleRX Cycling Studio
- Eye Level Learning Center
- Gridiron Waffle Shop
- Kitchen a la Mode
- Kimaya Kama
- The Leather Shop
- Papillon 25
- Reservoir
- South Orange Frame Shop
- South Mountain Yoga
- Spa Lady
- Sparkhouse
- Town Hall Deli
- Walia Ethiopian Restaurant
