Powerhouse partners with downtown businesses to encourage shopping local

LACONIA — Anyone who buys a ticket to see "Elf The Musical" at the Colonial Theatre this August gains access to exclusive perks from 14 downtown businesses. 

The perks, which include various discounts and deals, come through a partnership with Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative, the producing company for "Elf."

“People talk a lot about shopping local and, and we think people should also art local, and that they both can sort of help each other,” Powerhouse producer Johanna Halperin said.

"Elf" runs Aug. 8-10, and the promotion is available through Friday, Aug. 15.

This is second time Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative, the resident community theater group at the Colonial, has offered Powerhouse Downtown Perks. The first was during their May show, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." 

While there is no surefire way to measure the promotion's affect on ticket sales, it was their most successful spring show to date. Halperin suspects the perks helped.

“We certainly do know that people at the businesses promote the show,” she said. “There's anecdotal evidence.”

Shield Comics & Games is one participating business, offering 10% off storewide every day during the promotion. Owner Jason Thomas said he had some customers come in with ticket stubs for the May show, but no one yet this summer. He is happy to be a part of this effort.

“I think it’s important, all of us working together on [the] same goals, just get more people into the downtown area shopping,” he said.

Fresh! Downtown is another participant. Owner Dana Lamothe said they participated last time as well, offering cake and charcuterie boards. This time, she created a special Elf Bar. The bars are free with any purchase to ticketholders, and also sell for $1. It’s essentially a marshmallow crispy treat, made with dried chow noodles, marshmallow fluff, M&Ms and chocolate. It takes inspiration from a notable breakfast scene in the "Elf" movie, the inspiration for the musical Powerhouse is staging.

“It looks like when he makes his breakfast with the pasta, and he just keeps throwing all the M&Ms and the marshmallows and the maple syrup all over it,” Lamothe said. “That's where our idea came from.”

New for this round of perks are posters for businesses to hang in their windows, promoting the show.

“They say you need to tell someone something seven times before the marketing really hits,” Halperin said. “This is great for us, because as people are shopping downtown, they'll be reminded again and again of the shows that are happening, that Powerhouse is doing at the Colonial.”

The mastermind behind the promotion is volunteer Mary Ann Drapcho, who is playing Mrs. Claus in "Elf." She got the idea for business collaborations after hearing the Franklin Opera House did a similar program. She thought it was a great way to increase interest in the performances.

“I realized that we probably needed to do more extensive marketing,” Drapcho said. “I'm just really interested in the kind of challenge of how you bridge and help build a collaboration between downtown businesses and the theater.”

Drapcho walked from business to business, hoping to increase the number of perks available. In May, there were 12 participating businesses. This time around, she got 14. She encouraged businesses interested in participating in the future to contact info@powerhouse.org.

Halperin believes investing in the arts grows the economy. She said every time a performance comes to town, there’s a multiplier effect in the community.

“For every dollar that you spend on a ticket, you may go to a restaurant and fill up your car with gas and then maybe get an ice cream or have a drink,” she said. “They're going to be going to these businesses. We want a thriving downtown for us and for them. So, it's a win-win.”

Drapcho thinks it will benefit everyone if it becomes a regular promotion.

“I hope that this becomes something we habituate, where people realize when they buy their ticket, they get excited about seeing what their perk is going to be,” she said.

For more details about all the perks available to "Elf" ticketholders, visit powerhousenh.org.