DOVER-FOXCROFT – A program initiated by the Piscataquis Chamber four years ago to encourage local shopping has done just that, said organizers.

In 2002 chamber members recognized residents were purchasing goods and services outside of Piscataquis County, so they introduced the sale of $10 gift certificates that were honored by more than 80 local businesses.

That move was beneficial, Dennis Lyford, the chamber’s executive director, said Wednesday. “We’ve kept about $100,000 over the last four years in the region because of the gift certificate program,” he said. “We felt most of that money would have been spent outside of the region.”

Lyford said a 1996 study by Eastern Maine Development Corp. estimated that Piscataquis County businesses lost about $42 million a year in sales because of items purchased elsewhere.

The gift certificate program offered during the Christmas season has helped local stores recoup some of that loss, Lyford said. What has helped is the participation of employers in the region who purchase the certificates as holiday gifts for their employees, he said.

Donna Cleary, manager of Mr. Paperback in Dover-Foxcroft, said her store has done very well with the gift certificates. “It’s more of a treat to spend a gift certificate,” she said. “I think it’s a wonderful program; it keeps the dollars in the county.”

Customers redeem a lot of the gift certificates at Fox Brook Variety as well, according to Linda Boyd, the store’s co-owner. “I think it is a great thing the chamber does,” she said.

The gift certificates also have a ripple effect in the community by helping to retain local jobs, contributing tax support, and supporting local initiatives, according to Lyford.

For more information, contact Lyford at 564-7533.