Closing the AlottaJava / West Chester Gift Card Program

It is with great sadness that I am reporting to you the closure of the AlottaJava® / West Chester Gift Card Program. Details explaining the reason for this closure are below. The last day to redeem gift cards will be December 30, 2025. As required by law, unused gift card funds will be returned to the state as unclaimed property. I am committed to providing card-holders with options that maximize the value of their unused gift cards with the options provided below. Thank you to everyone who supported, encouraged and remained loyal to the gift card program as it sprouted and blossomed.

A very special thank you to the participating merchants who believed, trusted and partnered with me. I derived my strength, energy and motivation from your determination, hard work, commitment and relentless pursuit of your dreams and goals in the face of adversity. You are outstanding role models for all small business owners. Thank you.

Why the gift card program is closing

After spending 3 years to develop the gift card system and another 4 years to test, refine and launch the system, I knew that I would need a banking partner to ensure compliance with Federal and State laws and regulations. I had promising discussions with multiple banks and credit unions, but one bank clearly stood out as the most suitable partner. This bank performed their due diligence with careful examination of gift card sales and transaction activity. Once the bank was satisfied with operations, procedures and measurable results, the relationship strengthened as the bank VP, Treasury Management and Merchant Services signed a letter of partnership intent and drafted the partnership agreement for my review. A very positive and productive meeting with the bank CEO was, for me, the final piece that convinced me that the bank was the right partner. I ended discussions with other candidate banks and ceased all gift card marketing and promotions, intentionally allowing gift card sales to diminish in preparation for the implementation of new policies and procedures required by the bank.

Much to my surprise, the bank VP sent me a revised draft agreement that lacked most of the important terms that we had discussed and to which we had previously agreed. I later learned that internal conflict between bank departments, driven primarily by insufficient knowledge/experience in the bank’s BSA Compliance team, resulted in irreconcilable differences between bank personnel.

By the time I realized that the bank partnership could not be salvaged, I had already allowed gift card sales activity to diminish to the point that the gift card program did not have sufficient current sales to appeal to new potential bank partners. I attempted to find alternatives, but without current gift card sales, I could not provide current financial reports that potential partners required for their due diligence. Unfortunately, I just don’t have the desire to start the laborious, multi-year partner vetting process again.

This announcement and the planned closure of the gift card program is painful for me. I had lofty goals for the gift card program growth and expansion intended to help our local small businesses. While I am currently focused on supporting the remaining card-holders and the loyal participating merchants, I hope to carry difficult lessons learned into a future endeavor, possibly one which leverages the technology and intellectual property on which the gift card program is based.

The people who supported and encouraged me are too numerous to name. You know who you are. Thank you.

Tony Celia

Options for gift card holders

E-mail messages have been sent to gift card holders explaining the options for your unused gift card funds. As a card-holder, the easiest way to exercise your gift card options is to follow the instructions and click the links provided in the e-mail message you received. These options are as follows:

As required by law, unused gift card funds will be returned to the state as unclaimed property.