CARIBOU, Maine – Caribou launched the holiday season this weekend by supporting small businesses and welcoming two special guests.
On Small Business Saturday, folks from near and far visited Caribou’s local businesses to shop for holiday gifts and decorations. Since 2017, the city has hosted its own campaign to draw in shoppers the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
This year, folks stopped by the recreation center for a free ornament and business “passport.” Shoppers chose five businesses and got their passports stamped for a chance to win one of three $500 shopping sprees.
Even those not taking part in the city-sponsored event were eager to support Caribou’s small businesses.
At Wreaths by Natalie and Aroostook County Crafts, Lincoln and Rhonda Barton of Castle Hill browsed the shop’s array of handmade wreaths and local crafts.
“We were driving by and saw a business that we’d never stepped into before,” Lincoln Barton said. “There’s far more here than we expected.”
Store owner Natalie Ireland first opened her shop on Presque Isle Road in 2002 on a part-time basis before expanding to full time 10 years later. Ireland makes all the wreaths that give the store part of its name. Items from over 50 other Aroostook County crafters line the store’s walls, including gnomes, yard decorations, engraved towels and pillows and Maine-themed calendars and artwork.
Small Business Saturday has become an important tradition, Ireland said. At least one third of her annual business comes from holiday shoppers from the weekend after Thanksgiving until Christmas.
“We’ve seen a steady flow today,” Ireland said Saturday just after noon. “Everybody’s in a festive mood and it’s great to see people we haven’t seen in a while.”
The holiday spirit also was in full swing at Gifts Galore, Julie McEwen’s shop on Bennett Drive. McEwen has operated her business for 11 years and specializes in home decor.
McEwen said that she likely saw around 40 to 50 people stop in before early afternoon. Close to half were carrying around Caribou shopping passports, while others were looking to start or finish their Christmas shopping.
“This is the first time I’ve come to Caribou [for Small Business Saturday]. I usually go to Black Friday” said Marie Parent of Van Buren, while shopping at Gifts Galore. “It’s fun just looking around.”
Families visiting Caribou’s Downtown Mall on Sweden Street got a special treat Saturday afternoon. Just past the iconic caribou statue at Lyndon Square stood two of Santa’s reindeer behind an enclosed steel fence. The reindeer were there in the early evening when Santa Claus lit the city’s Christmas tree.
It’s the fourth year that local families got to visit with the reindeer, thanks to Caribou Fire & Ambulance and 20 local business sponsors. The fire department expanded on the event this year by serving s’mores at a bonfire and sponsoring activities at the recreation center, including a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus.
“We’re partnering with Small Business Saturday to try to get more people downtown,” said firefighter and paramedic Scott Michaud. “We’ve really been expanding what we have here to give families something more.”
