Things were far from mild down the street at the Museum of Ventura County Agriculture Museum’s Suzanne Soprano was busy with shoppers crowding The Best of VC Marketplace Gift Shop.
It was the same on 10th Street Santa Paula Art Museum Gift Shop where volunteer Cathy Metelak said the foot traffic “Has been wonderful! And then people look around and are amazed at the museum and all the wonderful art. We’ve had a great flow of people,” who perhaps stopped in for a signature but were drawn to the art.
There were also shoppers among signature seekers at the California Oil Museum where several shoppers were deciding on which rocks-no coal! -to purchase as stocking stuffers.
Remnants on Mill was doing a brisk business with their new line of jewelry and Bee-Loved Florist was seeing poinsettias fly out the door.
“It’s been wonderful!” said Debbie Eastman of the festive shoppers, some who stopped with the children at the adjacent SuzCreates for some holiday ornament making.
Fria had special vendors just inside with everything from custom stationary and greeting cards to warm throws and stuffed animals for a little browsing while enjoying some yogurt.
Up and down Main and side streets everyone was happy from merchants offering specials on unique gifts to shoppers, some new to the historic Downtown Business District.
Barbara Kroon of the Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce was in charge of the table where people exchanged their fully initialed walking map for a raffle ticket for one of seven prizes.
“I keep hearing from people they didn’t know what was in Downtown Santa Paula,” and Kroon said many said they’d be back. “People loved the event and several said that we should do this more often!”
In all, about 80 people entered the contest and once the prizes were awarded Johnson thanked the crowd for visiting Downtown Santa Paula and urged all to visit again.
“We really hope you enjoy our Downtown and see how much there is to do,” amid a slower-paced small town atmosphere free of large crowds, where public parking is plentiful, there are numerous fine restaurants and snacking places and dozens of shops offering unique gift items for the holidays.
