Downtown Fall Crawl a massive hit as sunshine brings out plenty of shoppers to support local

The 2nd Annual Downtown Fall Crawl took place on Thursday last week. Thirteen Whitecourt

businesses took part, more than double from last year’s event, making for a fun evening of shopping, chatting and exploring some of downtown Whitecourt’s small businesses.

Nancy Chatters-Johnson, owner of Beaver Creek General Store, organized the event, which ran

from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, and said seeing the growth from five or six businesses last year to

thirteen this year was exciting. “It’s been super busy, and everybody just seems excited. The

weather is beautiful, which really helps. I haven’t been outside walking the streets and seeing

what’s happening, but I’ve heard there are people everywhere. Everyone is happy and excited,

going to all these different businesses. I’m just ecstatic.”

Stores taking part offered various sales and promotions with some even offering treats. Beaver

Creek staff gave alcohol-free sangria to everyone who walked in and had brie or macaroni and

cheese to sample. “We’re having fun,” said Chatters-Johnson. Shoppers were also filling out a

fall shopping passport. The more stores they visited and got a stamp at, the better their odds

were of winning prizes.

“Many people tend to shop online, and I think we need to draw the focus to our downtown small

businesses. If we don’t have a vibrant downtown, we don’t really have a town. It’s so important

to keep our downtown alive. There are so many exciting little businesses and these young

entrepreneurs that I’m so excited about opening these businesses. Let’s support them! Plus, us

old gals who have been doing this for a while,” she chuckled.

Down the street at Just Peachy Arts & Crafts, local author Janelle Hilland was one of the in-

store artists attending in person. “I am here to do a book signing. I wrote a book for my daughter

about wildflowers and how we are just like them. We need the rain like we need our tears, we

need sunshine like we need warm hugs, and we need rest just like the flowers in the light of the

moon. I wanted to let my daughter know that even when things get hard, it will be ok. It’s a

message that we all need, kids, parents and non-parents. Everyone needs it,” explained Hilland.

Sitting right across from the door, Hilland had a perfect view of customers as they entered. “It’s

nice to see so many people coming through the door because with businesses like this, the only way

they are going to survive is if we support them, so it’s great that they are holding events like this

and working together. It’s cool to see the different ages and walks of life coming through the

door to support our town.”

Hilland said events encouraging people to check out places they’ve maybe never seen before or

haven’t been in a while, are a great way to remind the community of what’s here. “I think we get

used to going place to place that we forget to stop into the places that are outside of our routine,

and I think events like this encourage us to wiggle outside of our boxes and check out places

that we might not normally go to. It reminds us of the great places we have here.”

Hilland, who hopes to publish her second book soon, which she says contains a message of

using your imagination and embracing/caring for yourself and what that looks like, said having a

store like Just Peachy is fantastic for local and area artists. “It’s got that wonderful, homey,

eclectic feel. You walk in, and there is something special somewhere for everybody. A space

that allows everyone in town to come and either bring their stuff to the community or support

those unique small artists, even like myself, that’s precious.”

Jennifer Moffat, owner of The Shop, was celebrating her first anniversary on the night of the

Downtown Fall Crawl event. “It was so nice to see so many new and familiar faces pop by the

store. I think nights like these are crucial for smaller communities to keep the hype alive for us

small businesses when online shopping is so easy and literally at the tip of your fingers. When

shopping online, you lose that sense of connection that you get when shopping in smaller local

stores like my boutique.”

The welcoming smile from Moffat that shoppers see upon entering The Shop is just one of the

things that makes shopping there feel like home. “When you come to try on clothing, it’s almost

like you have your own personal shopping hype girl. I’m here to help you with sizing, piecing

outfits together, product recommendations and sometimes even free therapy,” laughed Moffat,

adding that she’s slightly kidding about the therapy part.

“My little Shop is small but mighty, and the continued support helps set me on the path to

achieving my goals and growing the business into a bigger space with more stock, selection and

diversity. When you invest in and support local businesses, the town can grow as a collective.

More businesses will pop up and create an amazing community to be proud of,” added Moffat,

who also sells home décor, stationary, and bath and body products.

Chatters-Johnson said she is ecstatic to have had the thirteen businesses join in and hopes to

see that number grow next year. She thanked them for joining in on the fun. “I would like to also

say a big thank you to the Town of Whitecourt for donating $500 to support this project.

Downtown businesses put it together, and we are so impressed by the Town of Whitecourt for

stepping up and supporting us and committing to support us in the future.”

Moffat said shoppers were commenting that they would love to see another shopping crawl

happen for Christmas, and she hopes it happens too. “It was a great experience. Bring on the

next one!” She also thanked Chatters-Johnson for taking the reins and the shoppers for coming

out. “Small businesses survive off of the locals whether it’s purchasing, visiting, sharing social

media posts or simply word of mouth. If you love a store, make sure you hype them up and

support them any way that you can, we truly need it!”

The businesses that took part were Beaver Creek General Store, White Wall Wood, Curl Up &

Dye Hairdesign, Caine’s Jewellers, Aesthetics Clinique, Just Peachy Arts and Crafts, The Shop,

Polished Beauty Lounge, Fabutan & Hush Lash Studio, Hadley, Asher and Elliot’s Candy

Emporium, Whatever Works, Thyme to Grow, and Petals Plus.