Subscribe to Entrepreneur for $5
Subscribe

Making Cents

Creating a local currency can help entrepreneurs drive sales.

By
This story appears in the December 2007 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »

At Tom's Toys in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, some customers don't pay with cash or credit. Instead, they use a newly printed local that's good only in the Southern Berkshires. The , known as BerkShares, is purchased for 90 cents on the but is redeemable at full price at participating stores. The goal is to encourage shoppers to buy from local merchants. "I think of it as a goodwill form of advertising," says Tom's Toys owner Tom Levin.

Continue reading this article - and everything on Entrepreneur!

Become a member to get unlimited access and support the voices you want to hear more from. Get full access to Entrepreneur for just $5.

Entrepreneur Editors' Picks