Last Saturday’s first-ever joycott brought the Portland Public Market House about $3,529 in profits, which its proprietors say was double what they make on an average day.
Organized by Portland Greendrinks, the event encouraged locals to visit one of the seven vendors selling food and drinks in the Public Market on Saturday. The market promised to pledge 51% of its profits from sales made on this day into energy upgrades, or about $1,800.
Sean Sullivan, who led the joycott effort, says the market will have an energy audit done to determine where it should invest the $1,800. Sullivan says he hopes other businesses might use the joycott model to create incentives to draw in customers. “I think the success of the joycott illustrates that consumers are increasingly interested in supporting businesses which align with their own values,” he writes in a press release.
