>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

The idea behind the program is to get local shoppers and area visitors to follow a map to member businesses. At each stop, they purchase a charm to add to a pewter bracelet. Each charm is unique to the business selling it. ().

- Bill Rautenstrauch

- The Observer

Island City picked a pig. Sunflower Books wanted a sun. Loveland Funeral Chapel decided on a coffin, but the charm maker couldn't come up with one.

"It came out looking more like a hot dog, so Loveland ordered a headstone instead," said Union County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Judy Loudermilk.

The chamber is getting set to launch its "Valley of Charms" promotion, with an eye toward linking communities together and creating more business for members.

The idea behind the program is to get local shoppers and area visitors to follow a map to member businesses.

At each stop, they purchase a charm to add to a pewter bracelet. Each charm is unique to the business selling it.

"It's like a treasure hunt," said Loudermilk.

Similar promotions in Pendleton and Hermiston have been successful in attracting people to businesses they may not otherwise have visited, said Loudermilk.

"Pendleton has been doing it three years, and their program keeps growing," she said.

Participating shoppers will get their maps and buy their starter bracelets at the chamber office. Then, it's a matter of building a charm collection, one by one.

The pewter starter bracelet costs the shoppers $5, the charms $1 apiece.

The charms are sold by a company back east, Loudermilk said. A wide selection of pre-designed charms is available. Most businesses taking part in the inaugural promotion found one to fit their names or themes.

The City of Island City, for example, picked the pig because of the city's annual Hog Wild Days event. Pendleton Grain Growers chose a tractor, the Stampede Inn in Elgin a horse, and so on.

A few participating businesses have had their charms specially made, though the coffin idea for Loveland didn't work out.

In a several other instances, business owners simply picked charms they liked. For instance, McGlasson's Stationery has a covered wagon, and Real Estate Eastern Oregon a horseshoe.

Chamber members taking part in the promotion pay a $100 participation fee, and buy 250 charms at 35 cents each. If income from charms sales is $250, the business profits by $62.50.

But the chamber hopes the benefits go beyond that, to include increased foot traffic and awareness of the things local businesses have to offer.

The chamber had originally planned to kick off the event May 14, but a delay in the shipping of the charms has forced a postponement.

That means there is still time to get in on the promotion.

"We really hope it will grow," said Loudermilk. "We're pleased with the interest so far. We thought maybe we'd get 15 members to do it, but actually, more than 30 have signed up."

For more information, call the chamber, 963-8588.