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Buy Local Bonus Returns to Reward Shopping Local This Holiday Season

The popular program returns for its sixth year to give shoppers $25 for every $100 they spend.

Post Date:11/24/2025 9:30 AM

Support SLO, Buy Local Bonus Nov 28 - Dec 24. Spend $100 at local retail shops & get a $25 gift card

Buy Local Bonus is back this holiday season! Beginning on Black Friday 2025, shoppers who spend $100 at San Luis Obispo businesses can qualify for a $25 gift card to another San Luis Obispo business, while supplies last.

“The City is excited to support local businesses by bringing back Buy Local Bonus for the sixth year in a row,” said San Luis Obispo City Manager Whitney McDonald. “If you plan to buy gifts this holiday season, why not get rewarded and support the local economy? This pro-business program is a direct investment in the local economy that is wildly successful each year. Shoppers get rewarded for buying local, small businesses get to welcome new customers during the holiday season, and dollars stay in our community to bolster the economy.”

To qualify for a gift card, spend $100 or more on gifts at small, local retailers here in San Luis Obispo starting on Friday, November 28 and bring a copy of your itemized receipt(s) to the San Luis Obispo Visitor Center at the corner of Morro and Monterey Street in downtown SLO. Qualified participants can then choose between currently available gift cards from other local businesses including retailers, eateries and personal service providers in SLO.

Shoppers can qualify up to three times through Christmas Eve or until the program sells out. While multiple receipts may be used to qualify for a single entry, one receipt cannot be used for more than one entry.

From 2020 to 2024, the City has invested more than $600,000 in gift cards from local businesses. Since 2020, over 13,000 people have turned in receipts for purchases totaling nearly $3.7 million in local spending. Altogether, the Buy Local Bonus program has generated more than $4.2 million in economic impact for our community, supporting the small businesses that keep San Luis Obispo special.

“We have had the great fortune to be included in the Buy Local Bonus program since its inception and could not be more excited for this year's launch,” said Nicole Adler, owner of Moondoggies, a local, family-owned business serving the Central Coast for 39 years. “This program not only supports our vibrant local businesses, but it also rewards our loyal shoppers for their efforts to shop small and shop local. We are so grateful to be part of a program that strengthens the community as a whole.”

"We are honored to participate in this year's Buy Local Bonus program for the first time,” said Shannon Len, owner of Len Collective. “We are excited to see the city support the small businesses of downtown by engaging the community in a creative and rewarding way. We hope to participate for years to come.”

This program is not limited to a defined list of businesses, you can qualify by shopping at any of your favorite small, local retailers in SLO. In the spirit of shopping small, receipts from the following business types do not qualify for Buy Local Bonus: big box retailers, convenience and drug stores, grocery stores and supermarkets, lodging businesses, and fueling or gas stations. Gift cards will be available from a wide range of participating businesses, with gift card options rotating regularly.

For more details on the Buy Local Bonus program, including how businesses can participate and FAQs, visit BuyLocalBonusSLO.com.

Plus Free Parking For the Holidays

For those heading downtown, the deal is made even sweeter with free parking in downtown garages on select days throughout the holiday season. To support local businesses and encourage everyone to celebrate the season together downtown, the City is offering free parking on the following days during the 2025 holiday season in all three public parking garages downtown (842 Palm Street, 919 Palm Street and 871 Marsh Street):

Thanksgiving Day through the following Sunday (November 27 - 30)
Every Sunday in December (December 7, 14, 21 & 28)
December 24-26
New Year’s Eve and Day (December 31 and January 1).

Free Holiday Trolley Rides
The City is also offering free rides on the Holiday Trolley! The City’s Downtown Trolley will be decked out for the holidays and offering free service on Thursdays from 5 to 9 p.m. and on Fridays and Saturdays from 12 to 8 p.m. from November 28 through December 27. Riders can hop aboard and enjoy the sights and sounds of the holidays while traveling between downtown shops, restaurants, and hotels - no fare required.

SLO Restaurant Month

And to drive support for local eateries in the New Year, the City will be bringing back SLO Restaurant Month to the community in January. Stay tuned for more information about how you can participate and dine deliciously all month long!

MEDIA CONTACT: Hollie West, hollie@slochamber.org, (805) 786-2777.

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