We are a small town with a big impact in food, wine and tourism. We have attracted restaurants and tasting rooms that give people good reasons to keep coming back. We also have a strong business association that ensures the businesses remain connected and supported.

We are a small community, with big goals and aspirations. The CBA is tasked with supporting the economic vitality, beauty and marketing of this great little town. We have a thriving food & beverage focus that propels our mainstreet and events. It drives our foot traffic and brings visibility to our community. Becoming a member is the best way to stay engaged with the Carlton business community and update to date on CBA hosted opportunities and events.

Every member receives the same benefits. However, businesses who are located on or near main street with a physical presence receive more visibility from the CBA due to the nature of our events and promotions. Because of this, there is a higher price placed on retail businesses, restaurants, and tasting rooms than service based businesses.

Members can terminate annual memberships at any time, however membership dues are non-refundable.

When you become a member of CBA, you will receive access to a secure member page. Within this page you will have access to a full member directory, complete with the names and contact information for all business owners.

CBA hosts two membership meetings per year. This is a great opportunity to network and see the depth and breadth of our business community. We also host round table discussions with different business categories such as lodging partners, tasting rooms and building owners to understand business needs and use this information to influence our strategic plans.

The primary ways the CBA helps drive promotion for local businesses is an investment in social media, a regular newsletter, networking opportunities and five annual events.

Social Media:

The CBA shares member events on Facebook and Instagram stories and occasionally on wall posts. To ensure that CBA flags your event, please tag @carltonbusinessassociation and use #carltonbusinessassociation.

Best practices for publishing your event on social media:

• Use a compelling and eye-catching graphic or photo

• Create the event on Facebook (instructions here)

• When making a post about your event, copy and paste the URL where customers can buy tickets, register, or learn more about the event in your caption.

• On Instagram, you will not be able to copy and paste the URL because it won't be hyperlinked. You will need to put the link to your event in your "link in bio". In your Instagram caption, you can guide people to visit the link in bio to learn more about the event.

• Use relevant hashtags

• Don't forget to tag @carltonbusinessassociation and use #carltonbusinessassociation

Newsletter:

CBA has enforced the following communications strategy for the membership, as well as members of the public.

Member Newsletter — Membership List | Published monthly on the first Monday of the month

• Board message, Promotion, sponsorship ops, volunteer ops, economic vitality and organization updates. CBA calendar reminders.

Members Share - Membership List | Submissions Due Third Friday, Published the following Monday. We do not publish if nothing is submitted.

• Email that includes member events, job openings, real estate, service updates. This email only goes to members as a benefit of membership.

Events Bulletin — Master List (emails collected online and events) | Published 3 weeks prior to each event.

• Includes all event details, RSVPs, Ticket purchase and volunteer info.

To be a member of the CBA, you do not have to reside in Carlton and neither does your business. In fact, we welcome service and tourism businesses that can offer resources to our local community and drive visitors to our main street.

Yes! We have a “Friends of CBA” contribution. This provides access to our emails, newsletter and pertinent updates that impact our businesses. Click here if you would like to be a Friend of CBA.

All members, who have paid their annual dues, are eligible to vote and be included on the ballot for placement on the board.

The CBA hosts its elections during the last quarterly member’s meeting, usually in the month of December.