On December 22 and 23 many local shops and boutiques will stay open late to keep you off the naughty list. Carriage rides will be available.
Smithville – The clock is ticking. Santa is checking his list, and most “order by” online delivery deadlines have passed. Waiting until the last minute to buy the perfect gift is as much of a tradition as mistletoe and egg-nog.
Smithville business owners have not only learned to deal with the yearly procrastinators they believe they have a solution. On Dec. 22 and Dec. 23, many of the small boutiques and businesses lining the public square invite last minute shoppers to “Join the merchants of Historic Downtown Smithville for a special, last-minute, procrastinator’s holiday shopping event” to “keep you off the naughty list”.
Tony Luna of the Male Room Brotique said the event’s name made sense.
“(Luna’s wife and co-owner) Sommer and I were thinking about doing one more event for the year. With it being so late, we figured procrastinating was the perfect name for the event,” said Luna. “The idea was immediately accepted by all the other businesses, and we ran with it.”
Many shops will be open late to give customers the opportunity to grab any gift they need. The Smithville public square has recently expanded efforts to grow the historical downtown into a “Hallmark-esque” scene.
“We hope the name sticks,” said Luna of the “Hallmark-esque” designation.
Did I mention there would be carriage rides? Well, there will be carriage rides. Local businesses pooled their resources and rented out a carriage for two days. Rides will be free to the public.
“We have such a great group of business owners downtown that everyone works together to make these events work,” said Luna. “I think Smithville has been wanting something downtown for years and our timing was just perfect.”
Everything is about the community.
“The community is why our businesses are successful downtown,” said Luna. “Everyone loves to shop local. To the tourists and the locals, downtown business owners want to thank you.”
If Carriage rides, shopping local, hot chocolate and Christmas lights seem like the perfect way for all of you procrastinators to bond for Christmas just make your way to Smithville. They will be glad to show you around.
Carriage rides are free to the public thanks to the generous sponsorship of The Male Room Brotique, Button Willow, Cheryl’s Beau Bees, The Attic on Walnut, Vintage Owl, Magnolia Roots, The Arts Garage, the State Farm Office of Mallory Pfingstler, DeKalb Florist, Market on Main, 615 Threads, Savvy Scrubs, The Closet on Market and Purple Door Antiques.
Image by KamranAydinov on Freepik
