Think Outside The Big Box

Think Outside The Big Box

Small Business Rally

Our small business owners will be taking a (socially distant) stand outside of their shops this coming Friday, December 11th at 12 noon. #thinkoutsidethebigbox

Show Your Support

Use your purchasing power to support small local businesses when buying gifts, and other essentials this year.

Help amplify our stories, and use your influence to encourage friends and family to skip the big box stores and shop local this year.

Publicly call out the unfair advantage big box stores have in being permitted to keep their doors open, as small businesses (who are practicing safe protocol) are required to remain closed and continue to close permanently on our main streets.

Reshare, repost, and retweet this (socially distant) rally announcement and the content that follows direct from our small businesses.

Reshare, Repost and Retweet

This week Toronto’s BIAs took a stand. Corporate, big box stores continue to operate as normal while our small shops are…

Posted by Gerrard India Bazaar BIA on Saturday, December 12, 2020

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A post shared by Gerrard India Bazaar (@gerrardindiabaz)

Our small business owners will be taking a (socially distant) stand outside of their shops this coming Friday, December…

Posted by Gerrard India Bazaar BIA on Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Our small business owners will be taking a (socially distant) stand outside their shops this coming Friday, December 11th, at 12 noon. Show your support ✊💖 ➡️ https://t.co/Gp66FQTd4F #thinkoutsidethebigbox #supportsmallbusiness pic.twitter.com/HhxpyKmwiy

— Gerrard India Bazaar (@GerrardIndiaBaz) December 10, 2020

❤️ We all need to #ThinkOutsideTheBigBox.
If we don’t buy local, it will be goodbye local. Your community, your…

Posted by Gerrard India Bazaar BIA on Friday, December 11, 2020

Letter to Our BIA Members

Hi Gerrard India Bazaar BIA Businesses,

We are proposing that all small business owners (retailers, restaurants, salons, dance studios, etc.) in the City take a stand (literally) this coming Friday, December 11th from 12.00 noon – 12.30 pm in a “Small Business takes a Stand Campaign” along with several other BIAs in the City. Participating business owners are asked to stand outside their storefront with a sign that says any or all the following. The BIA will push this out to all media contacts and staff / marketing committee / board members will walk the street to take photos for social media and future use. The visual impact of this is extremely strong and one that can’t be easily ignored by government officials and the general public.

I’ve been in business for X years
I employ X number of people/employed X prior to the pandemic
Shop local or bye local
Any other impactful statements you can think of

If for any reason, you cannot be present on Friday, please send us a picture or video of you with the sign and we will add it to the campaign and share it as much as we can.

Several BIAs are participating in this campaign. And we hope you will stand up for your self and your fellow member businesses.
Following hashtag #ThinkOutsidetheBigBox is being used for thiscampaign.

Please see below a variety of signage templates in different sizes as well as an Instagram template for social media.

8.5 x 11 Sign Templates

11×27 Sign Templates

1080×1080 Instagram copy

Please confirm your participation by clicking on one of thefollowing buttons below.

I will participate on FRIDAY Dec 11, from 12 noon – 12.30 pm

I will send my picture with the sign

SHARE YOUR IDEAS

If you have ideas, that you think can help our bazaar, we will love to hear them. Please feel free to reach out me at anytime on my email: gibbia@gerrardindiabazaar.com or my cell +1 437-350-4333.
TASNEEM BANDUKWALAFor promoting your product on social media, please reach out Anna on socialmedia@gerrardindiabazaar.com

TABIA Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TORONTO’S SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY TAKES A STAND – LITERALLY

Toronto, ON – Business Improvement Areas across the city have asked their member businesses to stand outside their storefronts at noon on Friday, December 11 to protest the unfair treatment of small businesses during the Province’s modified 28-day lockdown for the City of Toronto.

While large corporate box chains continue to profit by selling thousands of nonessential items, many of the small businesses that make Toronto’s main streets so vibrant and unique are forced to close their doors.

From 12pm-12:30pm, business owners will be outside their stores with signs communicating how long they’ve been in business and how many individuals they employ. The campaign will blanket BIA social media channels for days to come. Use the hashtag #ThinkOutsidetheBigBox to follow this and the stories of the many small businesses suffering during the pandemic and lockdown.

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Media Contacts:

John Kiru, TABIA Executive Director
jkiru@toronto-bia.com
(416) 889-4111

Broadview Danforth BIA Activations
Susan Puff, Executive Director
spuff@thedanforth.ca

The Eglinton Way BIA Activations
Maureen Sirois, BIA Chair
msirois@theeglintonway.com

Gerrard India Bazaar BIA Activations
Tasneem Bandukwala, BIA Manager
gibbia@gerrardindiabazaar.com

About TABIA:

The Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA) is a non-profit umbrella organization working with the 84 Business Improvement Areas within the City of Toronto, who in turn represent more than 70,000 business and property owners.

Twitter: @TABIANews
Facebook: @TABIANews