The mission of the Put-in-Bay Chamber of Commerce is to promote Put-in-Bay and its member businesses for the benefit of its full membership.
The island chamber acts as
a visitors bureau more than a traditional chamber of
commerce. Our chamber is membership driven. Our full
members pay annual dues and are assessed according to
their type of business and number of employees. These
dues and assessments pay the operating costs -- such as
rent, utilities, telephone service, Internet service,
office supplies and wages -- as well as advertising.
We have about 159 full members. Full members must have a
physical business and Put-in-Bay business address to
qualify for full membership. The Executive Board must
also approve a member's application for membership. Full
members play a large role in other chamber fund raising
efforts and in planning and operating chamber events.
By pooling resources and energies the chamber membership is able to reach a larger audience and provide informational services that benefit all members. Due to the logistics of the chamber's make up, the chamber only maintains, promotes and provides information about Put-in-Bay Chamber of Commerce full members.
There are a few island
businesses that you will not find listed on our website.
Some have chosen not to join for financial or other
reasons, some are not considered "legal" businesses
because they do not have the proper permits or business
licenses required by the island's village or township
governments, some have been dropped from the Put-in-Bay
Chamber membership under the guidelines set forth in the
chamber's by-laws.
BACK
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We provide information about Put-in-Bay, its history, attractions and our chamber members.
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We produce an annual Island Guide and distribute 225,000 copies all across the United States and in some foreign countries.
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We maintain a large Internet website with current information. If you see a contradiction in event dates on another website, chances are they haven't updated their information after we updated The Put-in-Bay Chamber of Commerce website. Many websites take information from our calendar of events page for their own websites. The island chamber tries to maintain the most current and accurate information possible, but we cannot be responsible for the inaccurate information provided by others.
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We maintain an automated telephone answering service that provides listeners with current contact information for our full membership.
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We organize annual and special events to provide additional attractions for our island guests and our island residents. Some of these events are fund raisers while others are not.
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We support our community through sponsorship of activities such as the Dive! Put-in-Bay Harbor Cleanup, Red Cross Blood Drive, etc.
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We advertise locally and statewide to promote Put-in-Bay and island events.
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We provide personal tours for travel writers.
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We act as national ambassadors for our state department.
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We assist our county visitor's bureau and Ohio's Department of Travel and Tourism in promoting Ohio and our area.
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We assist school children looking for information about Put-in-Bay for a school project.
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We represent all of our members.
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We do not recommend a place to stay or a place to eat. We can answer specific questions about businesses, but we cannot and will not recommend one business over another.
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We do not make lodging reservations.
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We do not maintain lodging availability and are not a lodging locator. Some of our 55 lodging members provide us with their current information on last minute availability such as the upcoming weekend, etc. when they have had cancellations.
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We do not maintain a "waiting" list for accommodations.
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We do not maintain the guest policies of our lodging members. You must contact the lodging member directly for information on minimum stays, cancellation policies, check in times, etc.
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We cannot force a business to refund your money or change their policy. It is wise for you to do your homework before booking a reservation by asking for a copy of the lodging owner's "guest policies" or for a business's "refund policy." If you have a legitimate complaint about an island chamber member business, please contact the Greater Toledo Area BBB.
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We do not have a "relocation" packet. Most questions about moving to the island can be found on our website.
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We do not maintain information on Kelleys Island or mainland businesses. We only have information about South Bass Island (Put-in-Bay) and our Middle Bass Island members.
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We do not hire employees for the Village or any other island businesses. We do provide a list of Put-in-Bay business owners that have websites with Employment Information.
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We do not have gift certificates, but many of our member businesses do provide this service.
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We do not provide personal telephone numbers for island residents.
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We do not provide a membership mailing list for solicitations of any kind.
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We do not provide packages or prizes, nor will we solicit our members for packages or prizes for auctions or fund raisers of any kind. We receive up wards of 400 such requests each year and it is our policy to decline all requests received.
We receive a significant number of telephone calls and emails each year about starting an island business. We offer the following suggestions:
Contact the Village of Put-in-Bay first for information regarding business licenses and zoning information. Vendor carts and kiosks are not allowed within the village on streets and/or the park and walkways.
Check the Real Estate Page for an island real estate agent to ask about properties for sale. If the property you are purchasing is outside of the village make sure you contact the Put-in-Bay Township Zoning Inspector to make sure you have the needed permits to operate your business.
The Ottawa County Auditor, offices in Port Clinton, OH at the Ottawa County Courthouse, issues vendor's permits for businesses on the island.
Make a trip to the island and look for a location. An island business owner may have space to rent that may not be advertised. Many times island residents are already on a list to lease commercial space as it becomes available.
Make sure you have housing for your employees. Island housing is at a premium during the season. Larger business owners often build their own dormitories or they rent homes for employee housing. Seasonal housing on the island is scarce.
Put-in-Bay Village
Offices:
Put-in-Bay EMS: 419-285-2401 Non-Emergency
Put-in-Bay Police: 419-285-3962 Non-Emergency
Put-in-Bay Fire: 419-285-7805 Non-Emergency
Put-in-Bay Post Office: 419-285-4641
Put-in-Bay Village Administrator: 419-285-5112
Put-in-Bay Village Clerk: 419-285-4313
Put-in-Bay Village Water/Sewer: 419-285-8545
Put-in-Bay Village Clerk of Courts: 419-285-2443
Put-in-Bay Village Docks: 419-285-2068
Put-in-Bay Township
Offices:
Put-in-Bay Township Trustees: 419-285-2292
Put-in-Bay Township Zoning Inspector: 419-285-2292
Put-in-Bay Township Port Authority: 419-285-3371
Other Put-in-Bay Information:
Put-in-Bay School: 419-285-3614
Put-in-Bay Senior Center: 419-285-5501
BANKING SERVICES
First
National Bank of Bellevue maintains a branch
office on Erie Street. The local branch is open:
Early November to mid-Spring on Wednesdays, 9:30 to 2:30
p.m.
Mid-May through Mid-September on Mondays, Wednesday and
Fridays, 9:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Mid-September to Early November on Wednesdays and
Fridays, 9:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Huntington Bank
has an ATM at Tipper's Restaurant, Harbor Village and
Pasquale's.
The National Bank of Oak
Harbor has an ATM at the Depot in the Chamber of
Commerce building.
Citizens Banking Co. has an ATM at The Put-in-Bay Brewing Co.
You may contact the Put-in-Bay Chamber of Commerce by mail or by email, by telephone or in person.
It is necessary to include our PO Box 250 when contacting us by mail. The island does not have mail delivery and omission of the postal box number may delay service.
By Mail:
Put-in-Bay Chamber of Commerce
PO Box 250
148 Delaware Avenue
Put-in-Bay, OH 43456
By Email:
islandinfo@put-in-bay.com
By Telephone:
419-285-2832 for our 24-Hour Automated Answering System
In Person:
Our offices are located in The Depot on the corner of Delaware and Toledo avenues, downtown Put-in-Bay. The Depot also services the Island Tour Train, the Downtown Bus and the Village Bakery.