On Saturday and Sunday, December 16 and 17th, the Stoneham Chamber of Commerce will host a Holiday Open House Weekend.

This weekend-long event is a reimagined version of what the Chamber has done in the past to encourage broader participation among businesses and the community. Be creative! You can offer limited-time discounts, announce a new product or service, showcase your specialty, extend your hours, invite a special guest or pop-up, hold a raffle, provide free local delivery, and so on. Also consider partnering with another business on a promotion! Our goal is to showcase something that grabs the attention of your local customers and motivates them to support their community and shop small this holiday season! For maximum impact, consider providing exclusive deals on Saturday and/or Sunday.

The success of this event will depend on the participation of Stoneham businesses and we hope you will join us!

We will kick-off this weekend on Saturday, from 2-5pm in Stoneham Square with a trolley from Stoneham Square to Whip Hill where Santa Claus has been visiting for more than 40 years. If you're a Stoneham Square business, host a "stop" in your business that can be anything craft, food item or game to participants during the kick-off. There will also be a passport program where you will stamp booklets for customers and based on the number of stores they visit they will be entered to win raffle prizes. If you are not a Stoneham Square business, contact the chamber office at (781) 438-0001 or email info@stonehamchamber.org to learn how to get your business involved. There will also be a weekend-long trivia walk for kids!

For our part, the Stoneham Chamber will promote this event at our upcoming in person events,  The Tree Lighting and Craft Fair on Nov. 26 and Holiday Parade on December 9, as well as in print and social media. During the Open House Weekend, we will be raffling off Shop Local Shop Stoneham Gift Certificates, as well as other items.

There is no cost to participate in this event, but we do ask that you provide a gift card, service or item for the raffle drawing. Please take a moment to complete this brief form to tell us that you plan to participate and what you plan to do.