Shop TriCounty offers discount cards to chamber company employees and members of the community that are valid at participating chamber companies.
Shop TriCounty is a collaborative effort between the chamber and Pottstown CARES, which is a partnership between the Borough of Pottstown, Pottstown School District and The Hill School.
Lenea Crawford, a senior at Pottstown High School, is one of the student leaders of Pottstown CARES.
“We wanted to raise awareness about the businesses,” Crawford said once the group broke up to warm up with cupcakes from Beverly’s. “My friends and I come here, and we want to show people how important it is to shop local.”
Jennifer O’Donnell is the member relations director for the TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce. She said she was approached by the Pottstown CARES advisers about the flash mob.
“It’s just awesome to have so many young people recognize the importance of local businesses to the community and to give their support,” she said.
Since the program began in November, O’Donnell said 30 businesses have signed on to participate, in an area from Oaks to Berks County.
“This is a nice way for us to show support for the businesses in our community. We can revive the town when people shop local,” said Liza Eames, a seventh-grade student at Pottstown Middle School.
Scanlan said Thursday’s event was only the first such flash mob in support of local businesses. She said there will be more starting in the spring, with participants gathering at Shop TriCounty participating companies.
Kristen Sirbak is the owner of Beverly’s. She found out about the flash mob on Thursday morning.
“I love it. The kids are big supporters of ours. It’s great when they come in and show us they love us,” she said.
Beverly’s Pastry Shop, at 322 East High Street has been open for two years. Sirbak said her goal when the shop opened was to have a baker that could focus on making items specific for allergies and health issues.
“We have a Type-1 diabetes baker, a nut-free baker, and can address celiacs,” she added.
For information about the Shop TriCounty program and for a list of participating businesses visit www.tricountyareachamber.com/shoptricounty/ .