Township Launches #LoveOurMontclair Campaign to Support Local Businesses

MONTCLAIR, NJ – Montclair Township Council launches a digital ad campaign this week calling on our community to support small businesses in town.

The campaign, called “Love Our Montclair,” is part of the Council’s continued response to help local small businesses and the people they employ, during the COVID-19 crisis.

The Council and Township worked in partnership with Montclair business leaders to create a marketing campaign which leans on some good old-fashioned hometown pride by asking residents to take photos while at local shops, restaurants, salons and other small business they love or to write about the small businesses they love in our town on social media using the hashtag #LoveOurMontclair.

“In these challenging times, we must continue to work with our business leaders to find creative ways to help,” said Mayor Sean Spiller. “With ‘Love Our Montclair,’ we want to create an uplifting campaign that speaks to all Montclairions and inspires us all to choose to spend our dollars right here in town, where we’re fortunate to have hundreds of small businesses that offer such an incredible range of goods and services,” he said.

“It’s going to take all of us pitching in to help ​our town during this pandemic. I am excited that residents will be able to take a moment and share what they love about our Montclair using the hashtag #LoveOurMontclair on social media,” said the Mayor.

“I’m grateful to the Mayor and my colleagues on the Council for giving me the opportunity to work with our talented township staff and Montclair business leaders to develop this exciting campaign,” said Councilor-at-Large Peter Yacobellis. “I think it’s incumbent on all of us as members of this great community to choose to support our local businesses with our dollars, as often as we can and I really look forward to seeing what our engaged citizenry will share about what they love about our Montclair.”

Over the next several weeks, Montclair business leaders will launch a comprehensive A-Z directory of small businesses in Montclair. The Township is taking on the cost of the digital ad campaign to drive traffic to the directory and to encourage township residents and visitors from surrounding communities to shop-Montclair safely and enjoy the tremendous outdoor restaurant scene. Other components like a photo contest are also being discussed for later this summer.

The “Love Our Montclair” campaign is part a township comprehensive COVID-19 recovery and business re-opening plan which was launched last month by making available $150,000 in grant funding to small local businesses to help cover costs for certain expenditures the businesses incurred as a result of the public health emergency caused by COVID-19. Additionally, the sidewalk café permit fee was waived and parking meters were set to make the first 15 minutes of parking free of charge in order to encourage patrons to take advantage of business and restaurant curbside pick-up services.

The Township is also working with the Montclair Center BID on efforts that include closing South Park and Church streets on Saturdays, providing space in a local park for fitness studios to offer socially-distanced exercise sessions, and other initiatives designed to help small businesses.

“It’s so important that we support Montclair local businesses and we want to encourage all of our fellow Montclair residents to do the same,” said Mayor Spiller.

“Whether you’re shopping, dining, getting a haircut, hiring a photographer, working on a home improvement project or just going out for ice cream, we hope you’ll choose Montclair businesses first and share your experience by posting #LoveOurMontclair on social media,” said Councilor Yacobellis.