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'7 Stops of Summer' draws big crowds to downtown Van Alstyne
Summary
Merchants and shoppers said the City of Van Alstyne's "7 Stops of Summer" event packed the historic downtown on Saturday with discounts, games and refreshments; participating stores reported running out of passport cards and a prize drawing is set for July 14 at 2 p.m. on the city's Facebook page.
Historic downtown Van Alstyne saw heavy shopper traffic Saturday as seven merchants hosted the city’s "7 Stops of Summer," offering discounts, games, cocktails and a passport drawing, organizers said.
The event brought coordinated promotions across boutiques, with merchants reporting steady streams of customers and some stores exhausting their supply of passport cards. "We've had tons of people in," one merchant said, adding that shoppers were enjoying a discount wheel and refreshments. Another merchant said new cocktail mixers — including a glitter sangria and a glitter margarita — were popular with visitors.
The passport program lets shoppers collect a stamp at each of the seven participating stores; those who complete all seven are entered to win a $100 gift certificate from each store. Buff City Soap is offering a larger prize: a $250 gift certificate. "We started at 10 a.m. and immediately had people coming in the doors," a shop owner at April Showers said, describing a steady flow of both regular customers and people who said they had never visited the downtown boutiques before.
Merchants described quick sellouts of passport cards at some locations. At Haas & Lulu, staff said they began the day with 50 passport cards and ran out just a few hours into the event. "Everybody's coming in, getting drinks and snacks and all the fun stuff," a merchant at that stop said, describing busy streets and a festive atmosphere.
Several merchants credited cooperation among store owners for the turnout. "This is the most people that I've seen shopping downtown Van Alstyne, I think, ever in my life of living here," a Honeysuckle Rose representative said, thanking fellow merchants for working together to promote the district.
Organizers said the drawing for the gift certificates will be held Tuesday, July 14 at 2:00 p.m. and streamed on the City of Van Alstyne’s Facebook page.
Reporting for the City of Van Alstyne, Mike Shaw.
