BUFFALO, N.Y. — Tom Heneghan is a busy man this time of year, and he hopes it stays that way.

What You Need To Know

  • The Shop 716 eGift Card program is meant to encourage people to shop local in Erie County this holiday season
  • Consumers who buy a minimum $25 gift card will receive another free $25 gift card
  • More than 400 local businesses are participating
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His family has owned the Tara Gift Shoppe in South Buffalo for the past 40 years. It's a favorite for folks who want to celebrate the city's Irish heritage, with many of their gifts imported straight from Ireland.

It's been a trying time for many small businesses. The shop lost out on its biggest season around St. Patrick's Day when the COVID-19 shutdown first started.

Christmas time is next in line, and business is good while stores stay open — at least for now. He's hopeful Erie County can avoid going into a red micro-cluster zone, when restrictions would close non-essential businesses. 

"It was always just not knowing, and we're in that predicament again — we just don't know what's going to happen," Heneghan said. "But you make the best of it and this too shall pass."

Heneghan has seen more people trying to help out by shopping local this year. And he's a big fan of the Shop 716 eGift Card program Erie County and the Amherst Chamber of Commerce launched last month with $300,000 in federal CARES Act money. People who buy a minimum $25 e-gift card by December 30 will receive another $25 gift card for free. There's a limit of one free gift cards per person. You can use them at more than 400 local businesses that've signed up, including the Tara Gift Shoppe.

"That's just been fantastic. It's just the greatest, most-targeted stimulus program I've ever seen in action," Heneghan said.

According to the Amherst Chamber of Commerce, more than 10,000 cards have been purchased with a goal of selling $1 million worth. So far, the gift shop has had more than $1,000 in sales from the cards — a big boost as they try to weather the winter of COVID-19.

"If you look at it like just a whole bunch of snowstorms put together. Just a long snowstorm," Heneghan said. "Hopefully, all of our friends and family stay safe and everything gets back to normal in six months."

And back to business as usual.