Jingle, Jingle, Mix and Mingle brings the holiday spirit

MT. PLEASANT - Community members turned up in great numbers Friday evening for the downtown holiday celebration Jingle, Jingle, Mix and Mingle.

The Main Street Mt. Pleasant event is a celebration to kick off the holiday season, but it’s also an opportunity for people to visit the businesses located in the downtown area.

Main Street Mt. Pleasant Executive Director Lisa Oetken said, “The retailers have to capture that dollar early before they leave town. We don’t want them to leave town. We want them to see that we have as much here as elsewhere. It’s just in a bunch of small stores instead of a mall. It’s very important for these retailers to have a strong fourth quarter because we have to go into the new year strong.”

Event-goers got the chance to walk around the Central Park area, visiting over a dozen businesses. Each location offered visitors a small glass of wine and the opportunity to shop inside the store.

A plethora of downtown businesses participated in the event.

The businesses were Lillian Grace Boutique, Studio East, Perfectly Vintage, Main Street Pizza, Brown’s Shoe Fit, Mt. Pleasant Main Street Art Center, US Cellular, Meraki Day Spa, Etc. Gifts, AnyWear Apparel, Le Chic Boutique, The Vintage Raven, The Grange Public House & Brewery, Your Dream Home Furniture, and Paul Revere’s Pizza.

Lillian Grace Boutique Manager Barbra Leydens said the event is great for the downtown community and especially for new businesses.

“I think it’s a wonderful kickoff to the holiday,” Leydens said. “It gets people out, and the weather was definitely on our side tonight, which helped immensely. It’s a way to introduce businesses, and we do have some new businesses around the square and off the square.”

Leydens said the “mix and mingle” event was a great opportunity for people to see what’s in downtown Mt. Pleasant.

“The holiday season goes fast, and it gets faster every year, it seems like,” she said. “It’s also a great social event. Any of these main street events are great because we have an amazing downtown. We really do.”

Jared Walker, who attended the event, said it’s a great way to see the community outside of work.

“It’s nice to get out and socialize with people in the community, too,” he said.

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