AMESBURY — The typically winterized Amesbury Chamber of Commerce Sip and Stroll made its summer debut Thursday.
Sip and Stroll allows locals to visit over a dozen Amesbury businesses on select dates from 5 to 8 p.m. and enjoy light refreshments that differ from store to store.
“It can be cheese and crackers. Some people have done a signature cocktail while you’re shopping in that store. But the goal is just something small, a small offering from each location to just kind of get you in the door walking around,” said Sheila Beach, the Amesbury Chamber of Commerce’s executive director.
In the past, Sip and Stroll has taken place in December but Beach said due to the event’s popularity, they decided to expand to the summer months.
So, two dates were scheduled, with the first held earlier this month and the second planned for Aug. 7.
Beach said the first date was a hit, with townspeople coming out to interact with local businesses and enjoy music from the Amesbury Summer Series.
“It was a really busy night out in downtown, it was awesome,” she said.
According to Beach, business owners said taking part in the event was beneficial to their stores.
“A lot of them reached out afterwards to just say that it was a great night, that they had a lot more people in, increased foot traffic, their sales were good,” she said.
Gretchen McCarthy, owner of participating business Apricot Lane Boutique, said she gained new visitors.
“I would say 50% of the people that came into our store was brand new, and then 50% were customers that have been here before that know us. And, it’s just a really uplifting, fun evening,” McCarthy said.
While the event benefited businesses, Beach said it also allowed business owners to converse with new and returning customers in a fresh way.
“Every one of our shop owners, they love what they do. So, to give them an opportunity to kind of feel a bit more social and interact with their customers is always fun for them,” Beach said.
As she looks forward to the future, Beach said she hopes the chamber can continue to host summer Sip and Stroll events.
“It definitely kind of succeeded in what our goals were for it. So, we’re excited to continue it next month and hopefully we’ll continue it next summer too,” she said.