The “shop local” initiative, Think Franklin First gift card program that began back in December 2020 has reached $50,000 in sales, according to Franklin’s Marketing & Communications Specialist Anne Marie Tracey. The project is an ongoing collaboration between the Town of Franklin, Dean Bank and the Random Smile Project. The closed-circuit gift card program is intended to keep consumer dollars within the town, to help businesses compete with larger entities, such as Amazon and Visa, that sell generic purchase gift cards. Residents who purchase Think Franklin First gift cards are making sure their purchase benefits businesses right within their community.

Tracey points out that the Town didn’t know what to expect in sales from the endeavor.
“Thank you to the Franklin Community for supporting this great initiative. I’m thrilled with this response,” said Tracey, in mid-May. “I would have been happy to have sold $20,000 in gift cards, because I just didn’t know, and now we’re at $50,000!”
Tracey adds that gift card purchasers can reload cards to continue to use them at participating Franklin businesses. Consumers can purchase the cards at Dean Bank or online.
The Think Franklin First Gift Card program is endorsed by the Franklin Downtown Partnership, #shopFranklin, the Metrowest Visitors Bureau, MyLocalMA, The United Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. 
For more information, including participating vendors, visit www.franklingiftcard.com.

By J.D. O’Gara