UofL, LIBA team up for annual holiday shopping tour

The University of Louisville and Louisville Independent Business Alliance (LIBA) will take shoppers on a whirlwind tour of local shops and restaurants Nov. 30 as part of the sixth annual Holiday Cards Buy Local Shopping Tour.

The tour is open to the public, but bus seating is limited. Participants must register online. Tickets, which are available now, are non-refundable.

“The Holiday Cards shopping trip encourages our faculty, staff, alumni and friends to buy local this holiday season and introduces them to some of the LIBA stores that help make Louisville special,” said Brandy Warren, communications and marketing coordinator at UofL. “Our work with LIBA is one of the many partnerships the university has throughout the city to help strengthen our community.”

Those on the tour will visit locally owned businesses in several Louisville neighborhoods. The $45 registration fee includes opening and closing receptions, door prizes and transportation to more than a dozen shops on East Market Street (NULU), Fourth Street, Frankfort Avenue and Butchertown.

Activities begin with festive drinks and pastries at the University Club on Belknap Campus at 8 a.m. Participants board a bus at 9 a.m. to begin their day of shopping and return to the club for a 4 to 6 p.m. reception featuring drink samples, hot hors d’oeuvres and door prizes.

“We’re so pleased that the University of Louisville understands the importance of having a vibrant, unique business scene in their surrounding community,” said Jennifer Rubenstein, director of LIBA. “This bus tour underscores their commitment to the city, and we’re glad to partner with them on it.”

Shoppers will also have a chance to enter LIBA’s “Buy Local Win $1k: hoLOUdays Contest” by entering at LIBA member stores for a chance to win a $1,000 shopping spree at LIBA businesses.

More information on LIBA, including a member list, is available online.