This holiday season, shopping in downtown Palmer could pay off big time for customers.

The Greater Palmer Chamber of Commerce is brining back Shop Palmer, a program where the more you shop at small businesses, the better your chances are to win up to $1,000 in Bingles, which can be spent in town.

The program began last week and runs through December 20. For every $10 spent with one of 45 participating Palmer businesses, customers receive a punch on a card. After 10 punches, each card is entered for a weekly drawing of $500 Bingles, and the overall prize of $1,000. Bingles are the currency the original Matanuska Colonists used, and the Chamber brought them back last year. You can collect punches on your card almost everywhere in Palmer, from restaurants and breweries to retail stores

The Shop Palmer program has been a successful one for downtown merchants. In 2020, between a summer and a winter version of the program, 9,252 entries were received, resulting in $925,200 worth of spending downtown.