Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Downtown Greater Napanee BIA’s annual Shopping Party will take place Friday from 4-8 p.m., offering customers a chance to support local while having some holiday fun.
Stores will stay open late while offering up sales and specials throughout the evening.
“We’re going to have a 1950s-‘60s old style truck parked kind of in the middle of the centre block,” explains Dale Vandusen of Marie’s Place, who is also one of this year’s Shopping Party organizers. “It’s going to be decorated and have a tree and we’re asking for people to bring food donations and that’s all going to Morningstar Mission. When the trucks full we’ll just drive it down to the Mission.”
The festive truck not only helps set the holiday mood, but gives people a chance to help those less fortunate. As an added bonus, shoppers can then stroll under the Big Bright Lights in search of one-of-a-kind items for those on their shopping list.
A list of some of the sales that will be taking place can be found at the Downtown Greater Napanee BIA’s Facebook page. Customers will also have a chance to win $250 worth of downtown dollars from the BIA-good for any shop in the downtown core.
Shopping local has taken on an even greater importance in the last couple of years and Vandusen says the message seems to have really resonated.
“I’ve talked to a few merchants downtown and I’ve noticed it in my store, people really want to stay local if they can,” he said. “Obviously everyone shops online but it’s probably 89 per cent people come in here and say they want to get it here first before they go anywhere else because they want to keep the money in town, which is good. Before COVID people were like, we’ll go to a big box store or whatever and fight it out.”
Friday’s Shopping Party is that little extra incentive to find that unique gift while also giving back to the community.