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Use Go Local Austin to Save at Hundreds of Local Businesses

October 9, 2012 by Eric Highland 6 Comments

Go Local Austin CardIn case you haven’t noticed, we’re a hyperlocal blog that loves to share about the gems we find in Austin. When we originally found out about the Go Local Austin card from some friends, we looked into it.

Though the card is now available in 11 different cities, including Boston, Chicago, Houston and Albuquerque, the genesis of the company started right here in the city of Austin. Bob Tuschak founded Go Local on Earth Day 2008 and thousands of local businesses and consumers have been benefiting from his idea ever since then.

The concept behind Go Local Austin is simple and it has two parts:

Part 1: Give local Austinites the ability to save money and support local businesses at the same time.

Part 2: Give local businesses an incentive program for new customers who want to support Austin business.

Peter Craig and Angel Horne of Go Local Austin

Go Local Sales Manager Peter Craig with Ambassador for Localism Angel Horne

How the Go Local Austin Card Works for Locals

$15 gets you a Go Local Card that is good for one year. Only local businesses may be involved in the program, so as a consumer you are guaranteed to be supporting local business. There is no limit to how often you can use your card at any participating establishment.

Go Local keeps our money in the local economy, spurs small business growth and encourages consumers to try places they may not have heard of before.

How the Go Local Austin Card Works for Businesses

In order for a business to be a part of the Go Local Austin program, it must be headquartered in Austin and at least 51% of ownership must be in Austin. The cost per business is $495 per year.

The Burlap Bag in Austin, TX

The Burlap Bag near UT uses Go Local Austin to reward loyal customers and find new ones

This membership fee gets the business listed on GoLocalAustin.com, a listing in the Go Local Austin Guide and a listing on the Go Local App (available for Apple and Android).

How the Go Local Austin Card Works for Fundraising

In addition to supporting local business, Go Local Austin has a fundraising program. Any group can purchase the cards for $8 each at wholesale, and sell them at the retail cost of $15 each. The fundraising group is then supporting local businesses and raising funds at the same time.

The Go Local card can also be custom-designed, featuring a company/organizational logo or another design on the card itself. A custom design costs a one-time set up fee of $100.

What Types of Austin Businesses Use Go Local?

There are over 600 local Austin businesses that are featured in the current Go Local Austin guide. The guide is broken down into 8 categories:

  1. Arts & Entertainment
  2. Food & Drink
  3. Health & Fitness
  4. Retail
  5. Services
  6. Weddings, Events & Lodging
  7. Workshops & Classes
  8. Austin Farmers Markets

Discounts vary from a certain percentage off, BOGO, or in some cases just plain free.

Dominican Joe Coffee Shop in Austin Texas

One of our favorite Austin coffee shops, Dominican Joe, offers 10% off purchases of $10 or more with Go Local

Go Local Businesses That We’ve Featured on The Austinot

The Austinot has featured a number of local businesses and organizations that accept the Go Local Austin card. Click on any of the links below to learn more about these special spots.

  • The Blanton Museum of Art – $1 off admission
  • Kong Screenprinting ~ 10% off retail and commercial orders over $100
  • Texas Roller Girls – $3 off admission at the door
  • Zhi Tea – 10% off
  • Kerbey Lane Cafe – 10% off all food and non-alcoholic drinks, Monday through Friday
  • EcoClean – $20 off first delivery or 15% off comforters
  • Galaxy Cafe – Free drink with entree or free dessert with order of $25 or more
  • Alamo Drafthouse – 10% food and beverage with purchase of $10 or more
  • Blazer Tag – $2 off 2 games of laser tag per person, per day
  • La Mexicana Bakery
  • The Mighty Cone – 10% off
  • Hope Market – offers vary by vendor

Final Thoughts About Go Local Austin

We like it.

You are going to shop anyway, right? Why not use the Go Local Austin card? If you’d like to buy a Go Local Austin Card, you can do so here.

To learn more about Go Local Austin, visit their official website.



@EricHighland asks:

What is YOUR favorite local Austin business? Whether or not they use Go Local, I’d like to know. Maybe do a story on them. So don’t be shy – let me know!

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Filed Under: Discoveries, Local Business

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Comments

  1. Tara says

    October 9, 2012 at 9:45 am

    Can I not leave more than 1 star?? I love Go Local. And I’m glad y’all are making it more known!

    Log in to Reply
    • EricHighland says

      October 9, 2012 at 10:44 am

      Haha @3a360faabfb2abb11daee8330409c200:disqus thanks for leaving a star. If you could leave one to ten stars how many would you leave for Go Local?

      Log in to Reply
  2. rachees613 says

    October 10, 2012 at 9:58 am

    Check out Goodybag — they’re digital loyalty company based in Austin that has a charity component, and it’s free for business owners. Have had a Go Local card, and it was great. But I liked the charity aspect of Goodybag.

    Log in to Reply
    • EricHighland says

      October 10, 2012 at 10:54 am

      Thank you @c8e12e3f1c861ce166ca7068e784b0ee:disqus for letting us know! Hey we love any local Austin business that supports charities and would love to do a story on Goodybag.com if they are founded and HQ here in Austin. Encourage them to use the “INVITE” link on the top left of the page. We’re not exclusively supporting Go Local, we just like what they do. Goodybag sounds like a great company too. All the best! ~ Eric

      Log in to Reply
      • Peter says

        October 16, 2012 at 12:08 pm

        Hey Austinot! Just wanted to also let you know that we also have a charity component! (sorry we forgot to tell you : /) — we donate a % of every card sold to a local charity! We raised $1000 for HAAM last month and are almost at another $1000 for our next local charity! So please let us know if you have some charities in mind 🙂 All the best, Peter @ Go Local

        Log in to Reply
        • EricHighland says

          October 16, 2012 at 4:06 pm

          @1ade7c6c23709bb17a2307cede8313b3:disqus good to know. Here’s one to consider. We really like them. http://austinot.wpengine.com/superhero-kids-austin-non-profit-helping-families Let us know if you decide to support them.

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