ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — This week marks the unofficial kickoff to the holiday shopping season.

On Tuesday, St. Petersburg launched a program aimed at driving shoppers to local businesses.

What You Need To Know

St. Petersburg launched its Holiday Biz Bingo in the ‘Burg challenge on Tuesday

Shoppers can pick up bingo cards at participating stores and get credit for visiting different types of spots and taking part in activities. People who get five stickers in a row can win city-branded prizes

Mayor Ken Welch said the challenge was created to help businesses struggling with post-hurricane and economic difficulties

The marketing, tickets, and promotion manager with Daddy Kool Records said she thinks the program is a good idea to support local businesses, which she says will benefit the community as a whole

“These are probably our biggest weeks of the year,” said Ashley Griffith, marketing, tickets, and promotion manager for Daddy Kool Records. “I mean, we have Record Store Day in April, which is very, very big for us, but a lot of our store just relies on Christmas and holiday sales.”

Daddy Kool is one of the businesses participating in Holiday Biz Bingo in the ‘Burg. Shoppers can pick up Bingo cards at participating businesses and mark off activities and items at places they visit. The goal is to get people to stop at as many local spots as possible. Griffith said they could use the help.

. @USRepKCastor joined @MayorKenWelch in announcing the new @StPeteFL initiative, Biz Bingo. You can win prizes by visiting local businesses to buy your seasonal decor, coffee, services, and more. It’s an effort to boost business after a challenging year. @BN9 pic.twitter.com/H3qhuDI2Yh

— Sarah Blazonis (@SarahBlazonis) November 25, 2025

“We’ve had a difficult year, some may say. We kind of all have in St. Petersburg,” she said.

Griffith said the store’s relocation from Central Avenue to The Factory St. Pete on Fairfield Avenue South impacted foot traffic, but it faced other challenges as well.

“You have the ease of Amazon, you have the ease of Target, you have the ease of all these bigger corporations who are kind of affecting and hurting the local business economy,” she said.

Mayor Ken Welch and Rep. Kathy Castor were among the elected officials who visited Daddy Kool and other participating businesses to launch the challenge. Welch said struggles facing local establishments sparked the creation of Biz Bingo.

“We’re a year into the recovery from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and a lot of our small businesses are still recovering,” he said.

On top of that, Castor said tariffs, the rising cost of living, and the potential for increased health insurance costs are other hurdles businesses face.

“In St. Pete, we know small businesses are the backbone of the economy,” Castor said. “We don’t have a lot of large corporations, Fortune 500 companies. What makes our economy go are the small business owners who hustle every day.”

Daddy Kool Records is one of the participating businesses officials stopped at to kick off the program. Marketing, Tickets, & Promotion Manager Ashley Griffith (right of Mayor Welch) says it’s been a difficult year, and businesses could use the help. @BN9 pic.twitter.com/ssJ9c3V8J1

— Sarah Blazonis (@SarahBlazonis) November 26, 2025

As for what kind of boost the holiday shopping season can provide, predictions are mixed. The National Retail Federation estimates that nearly 187 million people will shop from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday. That would be an all-time record. A Deloitte consumer survey also found more people are expected to shop but that spending will be down by about four percent.

Griffith said one reason shoppers should choose local rather than big box stores or online retailers — it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

“All of the money we make here, it goes into our hard-working staff, it goes right back into the local music scene, and it stays within the St. Pete economy,” she said.

Castor also noted that $68 of every $100 spent locally stays local.