BLACKSBURG, Va – Several Virginia Tech alumni and community members have come together to launch the Save Blacksburg campaign.
The hope is to help the town recover from a projected $80 million shortfall after the pandemic.
“We really are passionate about the area just like so many out of town folks are where they have ties to Blacksburg and shared experiences of being here and I think we want to help our local businesses,” said Kyle Thompson with Save Blacksburg.
The main platform for the campaign is the Localyte app, all you have to do is download it to your smartphone and you can buy gift cards that will go directly to small businesses here in Blacksburg.
“It’s a digital wallet where you can essentially make those purchases and then be able to use those in the store so you’re not worried about the card in that drawer or your wallet,” Thompson said.
Businesses on the app include Main Street Pharmacy.
“Anything we can do to keep more money local is good,” Pharmacist Jeremy Counts said.
Counts says he and other small business owners in Blacksburg will always do what they can to help give back to their neighbors.
“The more you keep it local the better and the save Blacksburg campaign that’s exactly what it’s about it is giving people easy ways to infuse money into Blacksburg and stay here,” Counts said.
For more information on the campaign, click here.