I Shop NY kicks off "Local Gem Tour" in Rochester and Buffalo

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ALBANY, NY (07/10/2013)(readMedia)-- I Shop NY will spotlight popular local stores on a road trip through western New York later this week. I Shop NY, an initiative of the Retail Council of New York State, encourages shoppers to support community stores before turning to out-of-state Internet-only merchants. As part of the "Local Gem Tour," I Shop NY staff will visit local favorites identified by area consumers and interview store owners or managers to discover what makes these businesses destinations for loyal shoppers. The team will share photos and video during their journey on Facebook and Twitter at Facebook.com/IShopNY and Twitter.com/I_Shop_NY.

Members of the media are welcome to see the I Shop NY team and store representatives in action:

Thursday, July 11, Rochester, N.Y.

9 a.m. - Parkleigh, a popular gift shop (parkleigh.com)

3 p.m. - Thread, a women's and men's clothing boutique (shopatthread.com)

Friday, July 12, Buffalo, N.Y. vicinity

9 a.m. - Vidler's 5 & 10, a nostalgic variety store in East Aurora (vidlers5and10.com)

11:30 a.m. - The Wear House Accessorized, Williamsville (thewearhouseaccessorized.com), a women's clothing and accessory store

2:30 p.m. – Hazy Jade Gift Shop, which carries presents for every occasion in Albion (Facebook.com/hazyjadegiftshop)

Parkleigh was recently named I Shop NY's Favorite Local Retailer when it received nearly 500 nominations from devoted customers on Facebook. Vidler's 5 & 10, The Wear House Accessorized and Hazy Jade Gift Shop were among the Top 10 nominated stores. Thread was given $500 by the Retail Council to award one lucky customer with a shopping spree to the store as part of a random drawing during the same contest.

"The goal of I Shop NY is to increase awareness of great local stores across the state in a positive, energizing way. The Local Gem Tour will bring the story of some favorite businesses to life to show New Yorkers they have great options right here at home for unique merchandise, fantastic service and competitive prices," said James Sherin, president and chief executive officer of the Retail Council of New York State, I Shop NY's creator and the state's largest full-service retail trade association.

I Shop NY will visit popular stores in other parts of the state on additional Local Gem Tours this summer.

About I Shop NY: Local retailers employ our neighbors, support our tax base and add vitality and charm to our communities and shopping districts. I Shop NY helps these stores face growing competition from out-of-state Internet-only merchants and encourages shoppers to patronize local stores first.

Shoppers can find special promotions from merchants across the state on ishopNY.com. The Council markets these offers using social media and other new and traditional marketing tools to assist participating stores. I Shop NY is a free member service of the Retail Council of New York State. Merchants who aren't members of the Retail Council can use I Shop NY for free with a one-year trial offer. Learn more at retailcouncilnys.com/ishop-ny.

Learn more about I Shop NY at ishopNY.com and at Facebook.com/IShopNY.

About the Retail Council of New York State:

The "Voice of Retailing" in New York state, the Retail Council offers money-saving group benefit programs and government relations advocacy to thousands of retailers and other service providers. Learn more by visiting retailcouncilnys.com or Facebook.com/RetailCouncilNYS.

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