ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball today announced the next round of the highly successful Old Ellicott City (OEC) Bucks program. This program, which offers $10 business vouchers to residents and visitors, helps promote tourism and a successful small business environment for Main Street in Historic Ellicott City. The 2025 OEC Bucks program will kick off on Saturday, August 16, 2025. Shoppers can pick up OEC Bucks at the Howard County Welcome Center in Ellicott City, while supplies last.
The vibrant and diverse small business community in Old Ellicott City makes this historic town such a special place to live, work, play, grow, and do business. We are proud to continue offering OEC Bucks with the Ellicott City Partnership. This program not only encourages people to shop local, it also shows our businesses that we are invested in their success. Whether you are a frequent visitor or are exploring OEC for the first time, I encourage all to come down to Historic Ellicott City to fall in love with our charming Main Street.
OEC Bucks are $10 vouchers given to small businesses to hand out to encourage residents and visitors to shop local at one of the more than 100 businesses located in Historic Ellicott City. County Executive Ball is sponsoring the OEC Bucks program through a collaboration with the Ellicott City Partnership, a nonprofit that is committed to the economic vibrancy of Main Street Ellicott City.
We are grateful to the County for their continued support of this tremendously popular program. It comes at a time when business is slow during the waning summer months and having this encouragement for folks to frequent our beautiful town to shop or dine, is invaluable.
Throughout August and September, the Ellicott City Partnership will distribute 500 OEC Bucks vouchers on a first-come, first-served basis. OEC Bucks can be picked up at the Howard County Welcome Center located at 8267 Main Street, Ellicott City, MD 21043. OEC Bucks are valid to be used from August 16, 2025 through September 30, 2025.
The OEC Summer Bucks program follows the success of OEC Holiday Bucks, which was launched by Ball in December 2018 following the devastating flooding in Ellicott City earlier that year. Since then, the businesses of Main Street have grown stronger; the last several years have marked the lowest commercial vacancy rate in Historic Ellicott City in 30 years. In 2024, Ball launched the OEC Summer Bucks program, which provided support to businesses on Main Street during the summer months.
Business data from that program has shown that for every $10 business voucher offered, visitors spend more than $20 of their own money at local shops, restaurants, and businesses. This 2-1 return on investment creates a significant economic impact to small businesses during the summer, which can be a slower time of year for retail business.