MOUNT HOLLY—The Gaston Regional Chamber of Commerce has kicked off a new campaign to promote shopping locally.

One Mount Holly business said it paid off big on Tuesday.

For Sue Camacho, life is all about community. She and her best friend decided to open Time Flies Country Store a little more than a year ago in downtown Mount Holly. While it has been fulfilling, she said it is not always easy.

"In the economy that we're in, we have good days and bad days," said Camacho.

When the Gaston Regional Chamber offered to host a Cash Mob at their store, they jumped at the chance.

"The idea is, we're asking people to bring in at least $15 in cash and spend it at a local retail store and start stimulating our economy locally," said Chamber President John Kimbrell.

"We did better in this one day than we normally do in a week," said Camacho.

It is all a part of the chamber's Loyal to Local campaign, which began July 1. They said getting people to spend their money in their hometown is critical.

“Local businesses support the community. When dollars are spent here locally it goes to help our tax base, our community as a whole," said Kimbrell.

While making money is important, Camacho said supporting local businesses means much more.

"It's not only about a sale that happens on a particular day, it's about being a part of the community so all of the folks and all of the businesses in downtown Mount Holly are really invested in our community,” said Camacho.

Chamber officials plan to keep the effort going throughout the year. They said they will choose a business in the county each month to host a Cash Mob.