Window Wonderland kicks off holiday season
Great expectations and opportunity. Those were the buzz words of the night as crowds gathered in the Wooster square well before 7 p.m. to take part in the annual Window Wonderland festivities Nov. 19. By 6:30 p.m., kids were standing in line to give their wish lists to Santa, parents and kids alike were anticipating the last of the window unveilings and all were anxious to sample goodies and check out old and new stores.A packed square applauded as Santa began his annual descent from the Gallery in the Vault building. Then the crowd slowly dispersed to area stores, the reindeer cages or to take their place in Santa's line that now snaked halfway down the block.
Eight-year-old Audrey Murray said her favorite part of the night was "sitting on my dad's shoulders and watching Santa come down" and the "balloons."
Of special interest were several new stores and businesses that took the opportunity to introduce themselves and their products to the community. Today's Kitchen Store, which sells kitchen products and offers cooking classes, cleverly displayed product in the window, including sledding scenes on cookie sheets and a colander snowman.
Taking part in Window Wonderland is "a good way to get visibility, be part of the community and support Main Street," said store owner, Rick Davis.
Laurie Sidle, from Shreve, made her first acquaintance with the store during the event. "It smells wonderful," she said of the aroma of freshly baked cookies. "I've been anxious to see what's in here."
Local Roots Market & Café was also celebrating its first Christmas in business. Jessica Eikleberry, store manager, said her goal was "to get people who have never been here to come in."
Their window display included a kitchen scene with vintage kitchen equipment and old spice and baking tins. "We went back to our roots with the kitchen set-up as well," said Eikleberry.
Pat Brinkerhoff checked the place out for the first time. "It's very interesting," she noted. "We thought we'd walk in and see what they had."
Huckleberry Suites manager, Dan Hildebrandt, was urging people to climb the stairs and check out the new loft apartments for rent at 150 W. Liberty. The trip was worth the effort as drinks, goodies and a bird's eye view of the city greeted those who headed upstairs. "Downtown Wooster is a special place and this night is magical," said Hildebrandt's wife, Shanna.
"We like the downtown atmosphere and events like this promote community values. It's good to see an active, vibrant downtown," Hildebrandt said.
Woo's Brews was another new store that scrambled to have its doors open for the event. Owned by Leigh Ann Franks and Dave Nolan, Franks said that "having a coffee shop has always been something we have wanted to do. We just want to get the word out tonight and let everybody know what we're doing."
Martin and Delores Drotleff, who moved to Wooster two years ago, took advantage of the night to get to know the area shops.
"We're trying to get acquainted with all the things that are going on down here," Drotleff said. "It's a nice way to spend an evening," he admitted, as they sipped coffee at Woo's Brews.
Muddy Waters Café and Grille showed off their new and larger quarters by hosting the Wayne Center for the Arts Nutcracker dancers on their front stage.
Debbie and Steve Fox have lived in Wooster for years and even though all three of their kids have outgrown the event, they continue to attend year after year. "It's fun to catch up with friends and see the kids and all their excitement," Fox said.
Sandra Hull, executive director of Wooster Main Street, said the event draws in thousands of people. "It brings people to downtown and is a retail kick off," said Hull. "It's just a very special event."
Window Wonderland was sponsored by Main Street Wooster, Inc., United Titanium, Wayne Savings Community Bank, The Daily Record, CenturyLink, and the downtown Wooster Merchants.