Hi All,
We are Caz Life www.cazenovialife.com , and if you feel like we are an organization that was shot out of a canon and going 100 miles per hour, well, the feeling is mutual.
We began in June of 2023 as 3 people (with big ideas) meeting at a coffee house. We all had ties to the Chamber of Commerce www.cazenovia.com , and wanted to see if they might be willing to partner with us -- they agreed! They were going through an immense restructuring of their organization at the time, so it worked out perfectly to team up.
In a nutshell: We are the consumer facing events brand powered by the Cazenovia Chamber of Commerce.
As partners, we like to think of it this way. The Chamber of Commerce is the B2B entity, and Caz Life is its B2C counterpart. For example take the NY Department of Economic Development, a name that you might not be familiar with. They are the entity behind the well publicized "I Love New York" brand. They are the engine (and they play a huge roll) in many things, however "I Love New York" is the consumer hub for all things tourism within the organization.
That is how we aspire to be. Currently, you may see some overlap between the two brands. And yes, at this current time many people who volunteer for the chamber also volunteer for Caz Life. And trust us, we are still learning the ropes. As with any new organization we are making mistakes and growing. But no matter what, we assure you that we aim to be as transparent as possible in all we do.
The Cazenovia Chamber of Commerce will still be your one-stop-shop for all things community and business related. However (we'd like to think) that now Caz Life gives them little extra fire-power in their arsenal as their consumer facing brand. Through this endeavor we are able to better plan, promote and communicate events and initiatives.
Our main goals are simple. To get all the right people in the room together to help Cazenovia thrive in all areas. We believe that Cazenovia is on the precipice of being a quintessential "culturally rich community" and that is a big deal. Communities like this have a central layout, active municipalities, a varied business community, a rich arts and recreational tradition, and thriving non-profits. Communities like this are active participants in the tourism industry which in turn helps all all community members in all industries thrive.
So, how do we do that? We will say it until we are blue in the face... Cazenovia is teaming with talent! We just need to communicate with each other more. And to be honest -- in today's world, thats completely understandable. So let us be the ones to help in that area. Getting people together to talk through the issues, challenges, etc. of the community is a good place to start. We can all be great sources of strength for eachother.
See below for some of our current ongoing projects. Please note that all projects listed are SOME of our many areas of focus. As we grow, we aim to contribute in many more categories.
We are lucky to have the excellent variety of retailers in Cazenovia that we do! They are active and engaged. But, how do we support them in return?
One idea we are currently working on is Caz Night Out, a two part shopping event (formerly Men's & Ladies Nights) where the downtown shops will stay open late on 11/16 and 12/7 to encourage local shopping for the holidays. Many will opt to do beer, wine, and cider tastings. Some will host pop-up events, or offer unique promotions and special discounts to encourage attendance. Details will be posted to www.cazenovia.com/CazNightOut and our next meeting is on Monday 11/6/23 at The Brewster Inn at 8am.
We are also looking into adding additional events into the holiday shopping line up. Perhaps a "Flannel Friday" to rival "Black Friday" where local retailers would offer special discounts and shopping incentives for anyone wearing flannel clothing?
Would you be interested in Flannel Friday?
Yes
No
Unsure
We are also working on ideas for "Small Business Saturday" too! Just looking to give the community more reasons to allocate their holiday spending locally. We know that we all vote with our wallet -- so let's choose to support the businesses that make our community so special.
We will say it once, and we will say it again -- studies have shown that culturally rich communities are beneficial to all their residents operating in every industry. Let's give people a reason to give Cazenovia a second look -- to visit, to work here, to live here, and so on.
With that said we also work on numerous community events including 4th of July, Block Fest, Fall Fest, and the upcoming Christmas Walk, and Winter Fest. Yes, we are apparently really into "Fests". Contrary to popular belief, these events don't happen by magic. The whole town has been really incredible to work with and everyone has been extremely supportive.
We have also created the Lincklaen Street Revitalization Committee that will be focusing primarily on that street from a retail and cultural perspective. Most notably we are considering the empty storefronts along with the vacant theater. How incredible would it be to have an active theater in our town? You won't know until you start asking right questions to the right people. And that's where we have started - as a group of interested citizens. And if you are interested too, we'd love to have you involved. No public meetings are scheduled currently, however stay tuned to CazenoviaLife.com and Cazenovia.com for all upcoming meeting details.
Public art iniatives are on the forefront of our mind as well. We are in constant communication with the great art resources of our community - CazArts, Caz Artisans and Stone Quarry Hill Art Park on how we can collaborate to elevate and support the great work that they already do.
We love our non-profits, but we know that it takes more than love to keep them going. So, we are working with them on a need basis to help them with any hurdles they may be facing.
Recently the Cazenovia Garden Club let us know that they were having budget issues. Run entirely by volunteers and donations, they were going to be approximately $5000 short in their efforts to beautify the community with wreaths and garland in the winter and flowers in the spring and summer. So we jumped in, set them up a GoFundMe and we are working on getting them amply supplied for the 2024 season. Click here to learn more. Click here to contribute.
We are also currently working with CazCares to provide them with unwrapped gifts for local children in need. Kicking off on November 1, 2023 is The Giving Tree where you can pick up a "gift request" of a local child. Once you purchase the gift, drop it off at Community Bank before December 1st. Click here to learn more.
There is no off season...
Well actually there is. It's called winter, and man oh man, she can be tough on us!
But what if, instead of giving up and hibernating until spring -- we invested just a little more time, energy, money and effort into making it a success. Could it be?
Thanks to our partnership with CACDA and CazArts, we are blessed to have been the recipient of a $40,000 grant to be used to promote this lovely village in winter.
And boy do we have ideas! We are currently working with Meier's Creek Brewery on setting up a curling rink. We will be hosting community "Learn to Curl" events all winter long.
Would you ever "Learn To Curl"?
Yes.
No.
Unsure.
And as we mentioned, Winter Fest is coming up in February and we are working with local municipalities and businesses to offer free community events including snow shoeing, skiing and more.
Everything is still in the early stages of discussion, but maybe there is a way we can loop in great music, good food, and much much more! We are in talks with Project Cafe and Cazenovia Business for assistance on how to best involve the students and young families in these events as well.
We will also be working with The Brewster Inn and other local restaurants to participate in 2024 Restaurant Week(s). As a notoriously slow time of the year for all restaurants, this town-wide deals week can offer a great alternative to empty dining rooms! Typically running February 15 through the end of the month, this model has been used in Syracuse and other major cities for many years. Restaurants will offer 3-courses for $33 and variation of that model for lunch and breakfast options. It's a great way to encourage dining and support our local food scene. More details to come soon!
Would a deal like that encourage you to go out during that week?
Yes.
No.
Unsure.
So there you have it. A few things we are working on. We hope we may have peeked your interest. If anything jumps out to you, and you would like to get involved, please email hello@cazenovialife.com for more details.