New Citywide Gift Card Encourages Residents to Shop, Dine Local

The City of Bloomington has partnered with Yiftee, Inc. to launch the Shop Local Bloomington Card, a digital community gift card that can be used at participating independent shops and restaurants in Bloomington.

The Shop Local Bloomington Card functions like a standard credit card and can be purchased online and delivered by email or text. Buyers select an amount, send the digital card to a recipient, and the recipient can use it at any participating business. Merchants receive the full purchase value directly through their regular payment processor and do not need special equipment to participate.

Community gift card programs like this one have been shown to generate new revenue for local businesses, encourage customers to explore new stores and restaurants, and provide a simple tool for employers, universities, and civic groups to give locally through employee rewards, event incentives and community giving. The program consolidates these opportunities into one easy-to-use platform, amplifying the impact of every dollar spent within Bloomington.

The Shop Local Bloomington Card is available for purchase at app.yiftee.com/gift-card/city-of-bloomington--indiana. Local businesses interested in participating can enroll online at forms.gle/phEejsuCEMrZarGt9. Enrollment is open to independently owned Bloomington businesses that accept major credit cards.

Businesses can sign up anytime, but the City encourages enrollment before Black Friday and Small Business Saturday to help capture holiday-season revenue. Residents can also help grow the program by encouraging their favorite retailers, personal services, and restaurants to join the platform.

This partnership builds on the City’s ongoing efforts to strengthen Bloomington’s small business ecosystem by supporting local spending, promoting entrepreneurship, and ensuring that the benefits of economic growth stay within the community.

Current participating businesses include:

• Chef Lee – In Your Home LLC
• Andrew Davis Clothiers
• Laserlite
• Orbit Room
• Roly Poly Westplex
• Roly Poly Ivy Tech
• Pilis Party Taco
• Bloomington Bagel Company
• Hopscotch Coffee & Kitchen
• Board & Brush Creative Studio
• My Sports Locker
• Bloomington Farm Stop Collective
• Piccoli Dolci Inc.
• The Back Door
• Soma Coffeehouse & Juice Bar (all locations)
• The Village Deli
• Office Clothier
• Uptown Cafe
• Windfall Dancers Inc.
• Landlocked Music
• FARM Restaurant
• Gather
• Oak
• Moon Stones
• That’s the Rub, LLC
• The WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology
• Dagwoods Deli Sub Shop
• Osteria Rago
• Nick’s English Hut
• PopKorn Kernels With A Twist
• By Soul & Hands

For more information about the program, contact Andrea de la Rosa at [email protected].