The Melville Chamber of Commerce has been approved to receive 20-thousand dollars in funding, through the “Canada Shop Local Project.”

Chamber executive director Carol Wiens says the goal is to provide local businesses with new ways to promote their products, using methods they may not have used before, such as videos, that will be showcased on social media and the Chamber website.

“I think its going to be a really good promotion because the interviews themselves are really coming from the heart of that business owner, and they’re going to talk about why they love where they live and what is special that they can offer to the consumer coming into their business,” said Weins. “I think that’s going to be the biggest challenge is making sure that everybody understands the importance of shopping locally.

“We can do all sorts of things in our community, but the most important thing is it’s about the experience of shopping,” added Wiens. “I think shopping is a social experience, and I think Melville is a place where they can offer that social experience. You can compete with price of product, but you can beat your competition with good customer service.”

The Chamber is also distributing paper shopping bags, bearing the theme “Love Where You Live. Shop Local…Shop Melville,” for companies to display and give to customers.