Hoping to bring more people to downtown Hollister, Johnnie’s Girl gift shop co-owner Patty Marfia created the St. Patrick’s Day Scavenger Hunt with the support of nine other downtown businesses. The hunt took place on March 16.
“There still is not enough people in Hollister, both natives and newcomers, that know what is available downtown,” Marfia said. “An event like this lets them see for themselves.”
Participants received a scavenger hunt card directing them to businesses as they searched for hidden items that included a horseshoe, small pot of gold, shamrock and Irish flag. When a participant found a hidden item, the business would sign off their scavenger hunt card.
Those who found all nine items were entered into a raffle to win a gift basket valued at over $200, featuring items from the participating businesses that included Johnnie’s Girl, La Catrina Mexican Grill, The Garden Shoppe, Salon218, Beeswax Candle Studio, Kamal Yoga Studio, Moments Flower Shop, Four Corners Real Estate Group, and Irma’s Fashion.
One family determined to find all nine items included the Bishops, who thought the event sounded like a fun thing to do on a Saturday afternoon.
“We have a competition going on of who will find [the nine items] first,” Marni Bishop said.
Hollister local Leila Sadeghian also partook in Saturday’s event. Dressed in her St. Patrick’s Day best, she said, “It is a fun thing for the community and good for local businesses.”
For people new to Hollister, like Taylor Royster, upon learning about the scavenger hunt during a walk downtown on Saturday, she expressed her excitement.
“I thought how awesome it was,” Royster said. “It’s great to get involved with the community and this is a great way to get to know the shops downtown.”
Hollister Downtown Association Development Coordinator and Farmers’ Market Manager Corey Shaffer agreed.
“It brings everyone together and slows them down to see what we have downtown,” he said.
For Marfia, part of the excitement of the day was working with other local businesses and watching younger folks enjoy themselves.
“This has been well-received by businesses participating in the event,” Marfia said. “Kids are having a great time. They came running in here with their cards thinking it was a race.”
