Dec. 10, 2009 ---

Just in time for the holidays, a $100 Visa gift card will be given to the first 50 San Luis Obispo County residents to spend $1,000 at SLO City retailers.

The City of San Luis Obispo has just launched a program to spur retail sales and bolster revenues for city merchants. A pair of new websites — ShopSLO.org and DineSLO.org — will list all retail shops and restaurants in San Luis Obispo with locations and phone numbers, searchable by both category and name.

“These two sites also have parking and transportation information, an online exploration of the City’s neighborhoods, plus an events and announcements section,” said Marco Rizzo, City of SLO’s Promotional Coordinating Committee Vice-chair and co-owner of Café Roma restaurant. “Shop SLO and Dine SLO will make shopping and dining in San Luis Obispo even easier, more convenient, relaxing, and fun.”   

Retailers and restaurateurs operating within the city limits can create an account on the sites to enhance their listings and add promotions, flyers, photos, and a link to their own websites. The goal will be to highlight the breadth of shopping opportunities the city has to offer, and show off the wide variety of dining options available.

To be eligible for the $100 gift card giveaway, shoppers must be local county residents. They will be required to save their sales receipts between November 27th and December 24th, 2009, and when their total reaches $1,000, submit them to Verdin Marketing Ink at 689 Tank Farm Rd., Suite 210 by January 12th. The first 50 to do will receive a $100 gift card. For more information, call Katy McGrath at 541-9005. To plan a day of shopping and dining, log on to www.shopslo.org or www.dineslo.org.

The ShopSLO and DineSLO programs are funded by the City’s Promotional Coordinating Committee as a way to enhance visits to the city for county residents and tourists alike. For more information on the program, contact Bigitte Elke, Principal Administrative Analyst for the City of San Luis Obispo, at 781-7151.