The village square teeming with people. The children giggling as they munch on candies. The shop owners catching up with customers they haven’t seen for a while. The scenes of the annual Valentine’s Day Chocolate Crawl are nearly here in Mexico.
On Feb. 11, Mexico’s Village Square Association will host its first event of the year: the Chocolate Crawl. The Village Square Association is a membership organization that supports local Mexico businesses and hosts events to engage the members of the community.
Barb Wilson, who owns Kate’s Hallmark Shop and is in the second year of her second tenure as president of the Village Square Association, says the event is Valentine’s Day centered because it’s the perfect timing to get some gift shopping done. Most of the participating downtown stores either sell clothing, jewelry, makeup, or treats, so their wares are well-suited to the holiday.
“Everybody loves chocolate, and you’ve got to buy your Valentine’s cards and your Valentine’s gifts,” Wilson said of the timing of the event.
Since this event has been held for many years, according to Wilson, the planning process essentially consists of organizing as many businesses as possible that want to participate and then giving freedom to the owners for them to choose what promotions they want to feature.
Treasurer of the Village Square Association and owner of the Merle Norman store Lana Baclesse says “anytime you are able to do something jointly, it’s going to increase your volume of people downtown. It’s important for businesses to work together.” Baclesse’s store is both a franchise location that sells Merle Norman cosmetics and a clothing boutique, with the clothing displayed in the back half of her storefront.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the downtown businesses in Mexico have actually seen increased foot traffic. After the initial lockdown, Mexico residents and people from surrounding communities wanted to support their neighbors’ shops.
“COVID made a big difference because people wanted to shop local,” said Wilson. “They got in the local stores and they found out what each of us have.”
This drive to bolster local enterprises has continued. Wilson explained that people who used to go to St. Louis on shopping trips have become loyal to their hometown shops and restaurants. “It’s become a habit to shop local now,” Wilson said.
Nichole Mesko is glad for the Mexico community’s focus on promoting mom-and-pop stores. As the owner of Serendipity Closet on N. Jefferson St., she believes in the importance of coming together as a community to support local business.
“When you support a small store, you’re supporting a family and your community,” Mesko said. Events like the Chocolate Crawl provide fun for the residents and “an opportunity to see regular and new customers come in” for the owners. For her second year of participation in the event, Mesko plans to offer treats for customers, coupons, sales on her merchandise and a special free gift with purchase.
Mesko says that retail can be slower during January and February, so the Chocolate Crawl comes at a great time to get more foot traffic in downtown stores. But, the Chocolate Crawl goes beyond highlighting these local stores; it is also a chance for the community to socialize and enjoy time with one another.
“It’s just a big social event. It’s fun to watch people come in and go, ‘Oh, I haven’t seen you in forever!’” said Baclesse.
The Chocolate Crawl will be held Saturday, Feb. 11 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown Mexico. For more information on the Chocolate Crawl and other upcoming events in Mexico, check out the Village Square Association’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/villagesquareassociation.