The nonprofit Rogers Park Business Alliance (RPBA) announces the return of its annual Live Love Shop Rogers Park holiday rebate program, kicking off on Small Business Saturday, November 30, 2024. Dozens of unique independent businesses in the neighborhood will offer special discounts and promotions on this day, to launch the rebate program for holiday shoppers from November 30 through December 31, 2024. A Welcome Station will be open for visitors to ask questions, grab complimentary treats, and listen to holiday tunes sung by carolers. This year, a new Mercadito market craft fair will be introduced, showcasing local vendors and businesses, followed by a festive Christmas tree lighting at the Glenwood Alfresco to cap off the day. The sales incentivized by the rebate program help create a strong small business community in Rogers Park, one of the most culturally diverse communities in Chicago. To make a donation or learn more about the rebate program, visit RPBA.org.
Live Love Shop Rogers Park is a “shop local” campaign that helps support small businesses against competition from big-box stores throughout the vital holiday shopping season by rewarding patrons with up to $75 in rebates. In the 2023 Live Love Shop Rogers Park campaign, $39,780 were spent at 165 independently owned businesses within Rogers Park. Deals and specials from dozens of Rogers Park independent businesses will be announced leading up to Small Business Saturday. For updates, visit rpba.org/live-love-shop.
Live Love Shop Rogers Park holiday kickoff will begin at a Welcome Station hosted at the GROW/PROGRESANDO entrepreneurial training center (1756 N. Clark St.) on Small Business Saturday, November 30 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Carolers will fill the air with holiday tunes while free Ponche (a traditional warm Latin American holiday spiced drink) from Los Portales and Churros from El Famous Burrito will be served while supplies lasts. Visitors of the Welcome Station can also pose before an instagrammable 3D snow globe, receive a Small Business Saturday tote bag with local business goodies, and visit the new Mercadito market.
The new Mercadito will also be held at the GROW/PROGRESANDO entrepreneurial training center (1756 N. Clark St.) on Small Business Saturday, November 30 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. to showcase vibrant vendors and craft artists offering a diverse range of products and handmade crafts. Many of the participating vendors will be emerging entrepreneurs from Rogers Park Business Alliance’s GROW/PROGRESANDO entrepreneurial training program. At the Mercadito, visitors will find everything from artisanal goods to innovative services, all while supporting local talent and small business growth. After the Mercadito closes, shoppers can gather at the Glenwood Alfresco (6962 N. Glenwood Ave.) to ring in the holiday season with the Glenwood Alfresco Tree Lighting Ceremony from 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.
To qualify for the rebates, shoppers will need to collect $150 or more in receipts from at least 4 different independently owned businesses in Rogers Park during the holiday season. From November 30 through December 31, customers who shop at such stores are eligible for a rebate based on the total amount spent. Those who collect $150 or more in receipts will receive a $50 rebate, and those with receipts totaling $200 or more will receive a $75 rebate. A completed rebate form and original receipts (hard copy or digital) from Rogers Park businesses only, dated between November 30 and December 31, 2024; no gift receipts allowed) must be turned in to RPBA by Friday, January 3, 2024, by 4 p.m. Shoppers can download the PDF form, fill out the form and submit the receipt on RPBA’s website, or pick up a hardcopy from RPBA’s office (1448 W. Morse Ave.) on Mondays to Thursdays between 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Fridays until 4 p.m., and mail the completed form along with the receipts to RPBA. For more information and detailed rebate rules, visit rpba.org/live-love-shop. RPBA is an official 2024 Neighborhood Champion and Shop Small Ambassador.
Rogers Park Business Alliance is a nonprofit organization that has served Chicago’s diverse Rogers Park neighborhood for 30 years. RPBA works to cultivate and sustain a thriving economic environment in Rogers Park, serving businesses and residents with a variety of public events and business initiatives. RPBA programs include the GROW/PROGRESANDO entrepreneurial training program, the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Rogers Park Business Alliance, annual Best of Rogers Park awards, Chalk Howard Street Festival, Taco Crawl, and the Glenwood Sunday Market farmers market. For more information, visit RPBA.org.
Photos (l-r): 2023 Welcome Station Holiday themed 3D photo wall created by Nate Baranowski, courtesy of Rogers Park Business Alliance Small Business Saturday 2019, courtesy of Rogers Park Business Alliance