Business & Tech

Small Biz Saturday: Stories and Savings from Scotch Plains and Beyond

Nikki Leske of Scotch Plains created a Facebook page to provide shoppers with savings from local businesses, with a fun twist.


  Nikki Leske of Scotch Plains worked in marketing in New York City for years, now she focuses her time on a new Facebook page she started up called, Stories and Savings.

Stories and Savings aims to provide deals and discounts from local businesses in Scotch Plains, but also further since Leske notes people shop all over.

Read the Q&A with Leske on where the idea came from and why she chose Facebook:


Q: Where did the idea for the Facebook page come from?

Leske: With all the deal sites out there, I wanted to break through the clutter and create one that showcased local businesses in a fun and more personal way.

I decided to create a fictional character named Remy and tell the story of her life’s adventures through the stores she shops in.

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Each week, a new offer gets spun into an installment of the larger, ongoing story about Remy’s life. Each installment gets posted on Facebook with a simple form on the bottom for people to fill out to get their free coupon.

We kicked off the story with Remy waking up on the morning of her dinner party with a bad hair day. She went to Viva Glam in Westfield to get a hair makeover because they were offering a great deal. After that, she went to Apple Blossom Flower Shop in Scotch Plains because they were offering 15% off and she wanted to pick up flowers for her best friend who had just had a bad date. The story goes on from there.

In each installment, Remy talks about the business and offer like a friend talking to you. This allows businesses come to life more so than if they were mentioned in a straight coupon. I am hoping that people will become engaged with Remy, read each installment to find out what’s going on in her crazy life, learn about the great businesses in the area and take advantage of the deals.

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Q: Are there any businesses you've featured so far, or plan on featuring soon?

Leske: We are featuring a lot of great, diverse businesses including Viva Glam, Apple Blossom Flower Shop, Savory Spice Shop, Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa, John’s Meat Market & Creative Kids.


Q: How far will the savings extend?

Leske: Offers will extend to all of Union, Essex & Warren counties since people shop all over the place. But since I live and shop in Scotch Plains, I wanted to make sure I featured all the great businesses Scotch Plains has to offer.

 

Q: How often do you hope to update the page? 

Leske:
Right now, a new offer is posted every Monday. As Stories and Savings grows, more offers will be posted per week.

There is also a Stories and Savings blog (you can find it via the Stories and Savings Facebook page) where the entire story is posted along with fun tidbits like the recipe Remy uses for her dinner party. People can find all the story installments on the blog and catch up on what they missed. It’s great for businesses too because their story/offer stays up permanently giving them ongoing exposure.


Q: Why do you think Facebook is the best option?

Leske:
I think Facebook is the best option for two reasons: 1) Everyone is on Facebook and actively using it 24 hrs a day and 2) I wanted Stories and Savings to have a more personal feel as if Remy is posting updates about her life with deals from great stores thrown in.  


To find out more about deals from Stories and Savings or to adverstise visit the Facebook page.


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