Chamber of Commerce president Josh McPhee said the organisation was going “back to the drawing board to try and find a better way to get everyone to work together.”

Although he said the chamber worked hard to have businesses work together, Mr McPhee described the lack of participation as “inevitable”.

“There’s always going to be a mixed response, I guess,” he said.

“I think it’s a problem that happens everywhere. We end up very focused on our own business that we don’t necessarily think outside the box or the square, or the anywhere at all. That is important. To see that.”

In the email announcing the cancellation, the chamber asked for feedback from local businesses, asking for “viable alternatives” or ways to “reinvigorate” the town wide sale. 

“We’d just like to find a way to make it work. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a town wide sale as such, it can be anything,” Mr McPhee said.

“Obviously, whilst we’d like our promotions to have full participation, it’s got to be something relevant that businesses feel happy to support as well. It’s a two way street there.”

Mr McPhee said it was important for local businesses to work together.

“The better one is doing, the better we’re all doing. Whether it’s our retail, whether it’s our industry - the stronger that we are, or the more appealing a business is, the bigger a drawcard it is for Inverell and the more likely people are going to show up and the more likely they are going to visit the town,” he said.

The chamber is also hosting a workshop meeting at Freckles on Thursday from 5.30pm, to explore their future projects.

“We want to find ways to maintain relevance and work out what people want,” Mr McPhee.