Above / Follow Martin Handford’s Waldo as he travels nationwide with “absolutely huge and enormously interesting” ways to support independent businesses and the shop locally campaign.
For the last seven years, Waldo has arrived on the local scene to spend the month of July hiding while encouraging folks to find him on the Tour de Independents. During his Naperville visit, the bespectacled chap hides out with high hopes that residents of all ages will find him while shopping, dining, banking and entertaining locally.
Now 31 years old, Waldo returned July 1 to Naperville’s independent business community to promote the tour through July 31. Already, Waldo has been spotted in the sponsor tent at Ribfest, from the patio at Quigley’s Irish Pub and near the Black Hawk War Memorial in Central Park during the Naperville Municipal Band Big Band concert, just to name a few places.
Now into his second week, Waldo not only is making the rounds in Naperville, but news is spreading throughout the nation. It’s all part of Where’s Waldo? on Main Street, USA, a national campaign of Candlewick Press and the American Booksellers Association that was introduced to IndieBound Naperville via Anderson’s Bookshop.
With a coast-to-coast message to support local small businesses whenever possible, Waldo goes undercover to put into plain view that when you shop locally, you keep dollars in the local economy. You embrace what makes the city unique. You help create jobs for people who also will shop here. You help the environment.
You also nurture your hometown charities. You conserve local tax dollars for local revenue. You help create more choices in shopping plazas.
Furthermore, when you visit local independents, you can take advantage of services, knowledge and expertise as you support their innovative entrepreneurship and small businesses. You also help create a thriving destination.
So you see… no matter where you live, it matters to shop locally.
Get hooked on Waldo and go places
Pick up a “Passport” (aka Bingo Card) at Anderson’s Bookshop in downtown Naperville, then find Waldo 12 times at participating businesses, collect Waldo chits, turn them into Anderson’s Bookshop, and enter the drawing to win prizes by July 31. It’s that simple.
In other words, every player needs to get 12 marks/stamps/initials in order to come back to Anderson’s Bookshop and get the first round of prizes ($1 Book Bucks and a button) and be entered to win some of the other great prizes, explained Ginny Wehrli-Hemmeter, Events and Publicity, for Anderson’s.
The raffle drawing with many fun “kid” prizes and gift certificates from participating independent businesses will be at 11AM Wed., Aug. 1, at Anderson’s Bookshop in downtown Naperville.
Updated list of current participating merchants thru July 31, 2018…
| 1. Naper Auto Works | 320 N. Mill Street |
| 2. Lou Malnati’s | 131 W. Jefferson Ave |
| 3. Anderson’s Bookshop | 123 W. Jefferson Ave |
| 4. Anderson’s Toyshop | 111 W. Jefferson Ave |
| 5. Artistic Creations Salon | 22 W. Jefferson Ave |
| 6. Casey’s Foods | Naperville Plaza |
| 7. Bows & Babes | 26 W. Jefferson Ave |
| 8. DeEtta’s Bakery | 428 W. 5th Ave |
| 9. Dog Patch Pet and Feed | 1108 E. Ogden Ave |
| 10. Edie Boutique | 15 W. Jefferson Ave |
| 11. Ellman’s Music Center | 508 W. 5th Ave |
| 12. Busey Bank | 24 W. Gartner in Naperville Plaza |
| 14. Gotskind’s Shoes | 115 W. Jefferson Ave |
| 15. Naperville Bank & Trust (All three locations) | Ft. Hill at Aurora Ave. |
| 16. Naperville Bank & Trust | Washington at Benton Ave. |
| 17. Kreger’s Brat & Sausage Haus | 605 N. Ellsworth |
| 18. Liam Brex | 222 S. Main St |
| 19. Naper Nuts & Sweets | 10 W. Jefferson Ave |
| 20. Naperville Fine Art Center & Gallery | 508 N. Center St |
| 21. Naperville Running Company | 34 W. Jefferson Ave |
| 22. Naperville Running Company | 3416 S. Route 59, Suite 116 |
| 23. Positively Naperville (online) | positivelynaperville.com (Right here!) |
| 24. PS Travel | 1783 S. Washington St Ste 107 |
| 25. Remax Professionals Select | 2272 95th St. Ste 200 |
| 26. Saraboo Creek | 107 W. Jefferson Ave. |
| 27. The Boxes Etc. | 790 Royal St. George #141 |
| 28. It’s a Bling Thing | 14 Jackson Ave. |
| 29. Le Chocolat | 127 S. Washington St. |
| 30. Naperville Tennis Club | 1011 E. Benton Ave. |
| 31. Oswald’s Pharmacy | Naperville Plaza |
| 32. Celidan Florist | Naperville Plaza |
| 33. Pennywise Resale | 750 Aurora Ave. |
| 35. Uptown Soda Bread (online) | Uptownsodabread.com |
| 35. Resiliency Institute | 10S404 Knoch Knolls |
| 36. Adagio Teas | 27 W. Jefferson Ave. |
| 37. The Growing Place | 25W471 Plank Rd. |
| 38. Nona Jo’s | 410 W. 5th Avenue at Mill Street |
| 39. Everdine’s Grill Cheese Co. | 24 W. Jefferson Ave. |
| 40. Second Chance Resale | Tower Crossings |
| 41. Edie Boutique | 15 W. Jefferson Ave. |
| 42. Casey’s Foods | Naperville Plaza |
| 43. BK Jeweler | 105 W. Jefferson |
| 44. Pinot’s Palette | 175 N. Jackson Avenue |
| 45. Cowart Chiropractic | 1212 S. Naper Blvd |
| 46. Two Bostons | Springbrook Crossings |
| 47. NCTV17 (online)
48. Quigley’s Irish Pub (Patio Location) |
NCTV17.com
43 E. Jefferson Ave. |
Think red & IndieBound Naperville
For more information about IndieBound Naperville and the shop locally movement, visit www.indieboundnaperville.org.
Look for that bright red sign in shop windows and put your money where your heart is, right here in your hometown.
Take the Waldo Tour de Independents in Naperville until the end of July. Thanks for supporting your local businesses every day all year long.
Support your local businesses and you’ll always live in a nice community. —Dan Casey
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