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| Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie De La Garza Lisa St. Peter and Lynn McDougall, both of Caribou, participated in the Caribou Hometown Christmas shopping event this year. They’re shown here shopping locally at Brambleberry Market. |
By Natalie De La Garza
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — More than a dozen Caribou businesses stocked their shelves with holiday cheer last Thursday for the annual Caribou Hometown Christmas shopping event, much to the enjoyment of shoppers like Michael Butler of Caribou.
Butler enjoyed last year’s Hometown Christmas event and turned out for its second season.
“It’s a hometown affair and it’s just nice,” he said. “It reminds me of the old days when you’d shop in town.”
Originally the idea of Brambleberry Market owner Debbie Sutherland, Caribou Hometown Christmas started when Sutherland started going door to door to her fellow business owners. She found receptive entrepreneurs and one underlying principle.
“We are friendly in Caribou,” she said with a big smile.
One thing stands out from last year’s inceptive event, which Sutherland recalled with an accomplished grin: it was -20 degrees outside, and her store was packed with people.
Across the downtown area on Bennett Drive, Plourde Furniture co-owner Doug Plourde noted that his customers seemed to be arriving with a bit more of that Holiday Spirit.
During last year’s event, Plourde watched different groups come through his doors during their merry rounds during Caribou Hometown Christmas and shared in their cheer during an outing that was more about fun than shopping.
“They were just out looking around and having a good time, and I think that’s what we enjoyed the most about it,” he said.
Plourde’s is just one of the historic icons of Caribou’s retail and service scene, but this young tradition of cooperation amongst his fellow businesses is something that Plourde will continue.
“We enjoyed seeing people out in the community businesses and creating a bit of activity in Caribou during the evening, which we don’t typically see,” he noted.
Though the event is fun, last year’s Caribou Hometown Christmas yielded yuletide sales as well.
“We saw a number of people come back in the following week and make purchases, so it was a nice event for us,” Plourde added.
Helping customers purchase perfect presents is something that Sutherland has seemingly perfected over the years; this year’s shopping event featured a string group that serenaded shoppers with Christmas songs as they combed the store’s shelves, and the result was smiling customers.
“Some people come in and they’re stressed out because they have to buy gifts. Usually when they leave they’re hopefully not as stressed out because they’ve found the perfect gift, they got it gift wrapped and it made them happy and away they go,” she said with a smile.
Whether it was the violins, the snacks or the warm ambiance, shopper Butler didn’t seem to be the least bit stressed as he enjoyed his shopping experience. Of course, his Christmas shopping is mostly completed, save a few smaller items.
For those of us who aren’t as prepared for the holiday gift giving as Butler is, a list of Caribou retailers can be found by visiting the Caribou Area Chamber of Commerce’s website at cariboumaine.net, or visiting their Facebook page. Overseeing this year’s Caribou Hometown Christmas was the chamber, and participating vendors included Brambleberry Market, Expect More Dollar Store, Freme’s Jewelry, Mavor Optical, Monica’s Scandinavian Imports, Noyes Flower and Plant Shoppe, Options, Plourde Furniture, Reno’s Family Restaurant, Sleeper’s Market, S.W. Collins, The Par and Grill, Works of Heart and Big Cheese Pizza.
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| Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie De La Garza Peggy Allen, Stephen Boody and Joanna Ridenour played Christmas music at Brambleberry Market during Thursday night’s Caribou Hometown Christmas shopping event. |
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| Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie De La Garza George Allen, Susanne Ridenour and Kelly Ridenour played Christmas music at Brambleberry Market during Thursday night’s Caribou Hometown Christmas shopping event. |
