Downtown Bainbridge recently joined an application that will help residents and visitors explore businesses in the Main Street shopping and entertainment area, along with promote upcoming events and merchant offers.

Special events coordinator Megan Wimberley attended the Georgia Downtown Association Conference in Columbus of August last year, where she met a variety of vendors including Ron Cook, who spoke about his app, Distrx.

Distrx lets users know when they have arrived in the specialized district location and begins listing area businesses along with any special offers they may have. Users can let merchants know what offers and promotions they like most, so when they return to the application it will only pull up liked advertisements.

Wimberley had several follow up conversations with Cook and they discussed how the app could benefit Bainbridge. One of the things Wimberley liked most was the business aspect. She thought it would be very beneficial for out of town visitors. They can connect to the businesses listed on the app through social media and see what other people who have visited through the app have to say about the business. Users also get alerted when the city is having an activity or event that they may want to return to, because they have checked into Bainbridge before.

Wimberley also liked that Distrx puts markers on the downtown map so visitors can do self-guided tours of Bainbridge. They can walk through the Heritage tour or view some of the locations that are featured in the Living History Tour. In addition, users can go on scavenger hunts through the app and look for points of interest the city has marked.

Bainbridge joined the app in January and has since been working with it to create a map of the Farmer’s Market and the different vendors that will be there from week to week. It will be part of the latest update, when Distrx releases festival maps.

Wimberley hopes the app will have success in Bainbridge. She has been campaigning for it in the newsletter and some sandwich boards outside on the sidewalk. They also plan to have a competition in the future for the first 50 people who sign up to get the app.

Businesses who are interested in putting their name out there can join Distrx for $10 a month with a $20 set up fee or a flat fee of $120 and get a beacon to place in their business that shows they are part of the Main Street business community.