Another shop hop success

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GALION — The August Second Saturday Shop Hop had good weather and a large crowd showed up to find hidden gems in the city’s uptown business district.

Miranda Jones, executive director of the Galion-Crestline Area Chamber of Commerce, was once again happy with the turnout and the excitement the event brings.

”It went really well,” she said. “We were thrilled with the turnout. The Galion Area Band brought a good crowd to the gazebo, and all the rocks were found.

“People had so much fun trying to find them and bring them up. We even had a rock that wasn’t one of our rocks that was found, but we still gave them a prize.”

The Second Saturday Shop Hops were started because the chamber couldn’t hold its popular Third Friday events this year because of COVID-19.

The chamber’s goal is to get people to visit uptown Galion to see the types of stores and shops and other businesses that are open. And to have some fun whit doing so.

“People had a great time with the scavenger hunt. It was so much fun,” Jones said. “Anytime you get people moving in the uptown area it just does a great good for those businesses, because sometimes people don’t even realize we have a coffee shop, a clothing store or a jewelry store here. We’re just giving someone a reason to come up town and walk around and see the businesses that are here. It can really help.’”

Jones said the shop hops have definitely served their purpose.

“I think people are tired of being inside . I think they are tired of not having fairs to go to or amusement parks to go to, or the Third Fridays to go to,” she said. “At least this way we gave them some sort of interaction in the uptown area . They still have a chance to support our businessesf.”

She said the shop hops may continue in the future.

“We’re brainstorming ideas now, because obviously the virus isn’t going away anytime soon. We need to keep being creative in how we are promoting our businesses.”

Jones said the chamber would love to do a September Shop Hop, but said ODOT is starting a project on Harding Way soon and they don’t know the time table for it yet.

She said the ODOT paving project is going to start on one end of town and start coming through so next month area residents might experience a pop-up shop hop.

“We might not know until the Monday before if we can have it,” she explained.

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Chamber of commerce promotion a way to draw visitors to business district

By Jodi Myers

Galion Inquirer

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