It was one of the best Old Fashioned Christmas Walks North Bay has ever seen. DIA executive director Jeff Serran says the mild weather was a big factor with more than 10,000 people taking in the annual event. He says in addition to being warm, there was a small amount of rain and a little snow. He says that created a perfect scenario for the event. That’s because many people were able to stay outdoors for longer periods. Serran says when it’s very cold, more people tend to go into the shops to warm up which is good for the merchants but also makes the outlets harder to manage. Serran says with last Friday it was just the right mix of people going into shops, looking around, picking up merchandise or getting ideas for Christmas gifts.
The DIA executive director says some stores enjoyed exceptional sales. He cites, for example, the new cupcake business which sold out during the first half of the three hour walk. Also getting big crowds was Invested Interest which is back in the downtown as well as The Abbey, Creative Learning and Pearls. Serran says some shops have noticed that people who took in the walk have come back in the days following the event to buy a Christmas gift or two.
The Christmas Walk regularly kicks off with the lighting of the tree and Serran says at least 1,500 people saw that take place at 6:00pm. He adds some people began lining up for the tree lighting at 5:00pm. This was the 29th annual Christmas Walk.
