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A Vintage Shop Hop Into Spring
Spring is just around the corner. which for shopaholics and wannabees means the early March version of Vintage Shop Hop is here. The days are longer, the sun set later making a shopping junket weekend with the girlfriends all the more enjoyable. And with over 400 locally owned antique and vintage stores participating having a strategy is a good idea if you plan to shop until closing time..
Thinking local is exactly what motivated Ann Campos, the former head of the Northern Illinois Tourism Council, tourism promoter and marketer to start Vintage Shop Hop (VSH.) nine years ago. From Green Bay to the Chicago Suburbs, this biannual, two-day event is a celebration of main street. small business. From her desk as head of the Northern Illinois Tourism Council Campos saw how smaller towns were outside looking in when it came to promotion coverage by area, visitor tourism boards. Most of their attention was "tied to room stays so they were covering businesses but not covering small campgrounds or antique stores that resided in towns where you didn’t have visitor tourism bureau,' says Campos. Vintage Shop Hop puts those stores on the map and gives them the attention they deserve. VSH has become so popular over 400 antique and boutique store event now participate.
Campos, the owner of Nellie's Barn Sale, understands that tor many, small town stores in a time COVID-19 Vintage Shop Hop is a lifeline. “These small businesses right now are fighting for their lives. They’re not Kohls, Target, or Hobby Lobby. They don’t have $1,000,000 dollar marketing budgets. These small businesses have zero marketing dollars, they’re just getting by." Ann Campos says. Many of these stores featured in VSH are husband and wife owned without a 401k waiting for them.
For most of us, COVID-19 is still front center each time we go out to shop, or visit a park. This year, Ann Campos tells stores participating in the Vintage Shop Hop on Eventbrite that "as of this summer, restrictions were lifted regarding mask mandates of Illinois and Wisconsin. If COVID restrictions are put in place again, please be responsible and adhere to the mandates."
Keeping guests safe is all about the details. John Eddy, co-owner with his wife Barb of Vintage Pickins in Edgerton says they "require mask wearing, clean off surfaces frequently while trying to limit the number of customers if it gets real busy." Vintage Pickins is an antique store participating in this weekend's Vintage Shop Hop. It is the first weekend John and Barb's store has been open since Christmas.
Fostering Community
Vintage Hop Shop is about being part of much larger picture. "If you promote together you become a destination," says Ann Campos.
Ultimately, shopping local is about community. Target is not going away. “When you go to grocery shop at Walmart consider buying that Birthday card, pillow, or gift at a local store instead,” says Campos.
And remember to wear your mask and socially distance if you are still concerned about the high rates of COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin. Some businesses in Milwaukee, Green Bay and Madison. still have a mask mandate in place even though at the state level the that is no longer the case.
If You Go
Best of all, in the this era of COVID-19, Vintage Shop is, the self-described "Motherlode of all roadtrips" a self-guided tour. Each store is required to have an “in-store” promotion so be on the lookout for that.
When:
This Fall TBA.
Where: All across the state of Wisconsin and parts of northern Illinois
Visit Vintage Shop Hop's Google docs for a complete list of antique stores and boutiques and
their useful Google Map for locations, and details about each business. Find Vintage Shop Hop's
website here.
A handy recommendation, Ann Campos suggests printing out a copy of the map
and list before you go have coffee with your friends and plan out the
day.
Please call ahead of time as the hours shown were for that weekend event only. Readers should check ahead of time to be sure shops are open. Some are barn events that are seasonal as well so they may not always be open.
