Town Talk Church Point
Town Talk Church Point
Let's talk about this year's 'Bells in Buggy Town' event
Ever wonder how small-town events can boost local businesses and bring a community together? Meet Hannah and Allison, the masterminds behind the thriving annual Bells in Buggy Town event in Church Point. We explore their successful journey in turning a local shopping event into a grand holiday tradition, all while emphasizing the essentiality of shopping local, especially as Black Friday approaches.
In this chat, we delve into the unique aspects of the event, from the bountiful prize draw that rewards one lucky shopper to the diverse range of participating businesses. We also touch on the festive, family-oriented ambiance that kick-starts the holiday season. Hear about the enchanting appearance of Santa at Cafe Maison, and learn how this event has had a profoundly positive impact on local businesses and the community. Get ready for a heartwarming journey into the holiday spirit of Church Point.
Time for another edition of town talk. It's our podcast here in church point with mayor spanky. I'm Chris and we're entering into a time where we have a lot of special guests.
Speaker 2:That's joining us on the town talk podcast spanky you know what that means, though Christmas times are coming. Yeah and it starts getting about October, it starts getting busy and we got a lot of good things to do, and this is one of them.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 1:We are joined by Hannah and Allison. They are the two ladies that put together bells in buggy town. Yes, sir. So let's start spanky, if you're okay with it, with a little background, how it was put together and all that stuff, because it's the fourth annual, correct.
Speaker 4:Yes, our fourth annual. You're doing the math right before this and, wow, four years already. This is our fourth event of bells in buggy town.
Speaker 2:So how did it get started?
Speaker 3:One day, me and Hannah were at the cafe at the time I owned a children's boutique and Hannah had her pacifiers and we were talking. It was in the middle of COVID, stuff was starting to open up again and we were like, okay, let's get people back to town, let's get people shopping around here. And we were like, okay, what can we do? And Jeff was there. He owns cafe Maison and we created bells and buggy town.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so the whole reason for the event is to get people to come to church point and shop locally.
Speaker 4:This really just benefits all of the businesses here in church point. So I'll give you a little bit of info about the event. We have a lot of businesses in church point that sign up and participate with us, and all the businesses that participate Donate a gift valued at twenty five dollars or above, and so when they come, people come to shop with us the day of the event. Every time they make a purchase with a business they will get a stamp on the back of their cord and after they shop at ten different places, they get to turn in their stamp card and at the end of our event we put it into a big drawing and one lucky person is gonna win all of the gifts from the participating businesses. So in the previous years I mean that tallied up to over like two thousand dollars. So, yeah, just, it gives everyone incentive to come out and even if you don't win, it's so much fun because it's a whole shopping day and it's the start of Christmas and we just kick off Christmas together.
Speaker 3:I was about to say a lot of the local restaurants. Here too, they'll run specials on their lunch menus. That day I know Cajuns has did Bloody Mary's like a two-for-one and bloody Mary's or mimosas, you know, women love to drink and shop. Drink and shop, yeah, so it works well.
Speaker 4:More money yeah, it definitely helped. They were smart. They're. Texaco also participated and did some Markdowns on their daiquiri.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and yeah, it's just such a good time and a lot of the places. So pizza bill, I think, was their first year last year participating. So yeah, they had deals and specials that day too, and people got to just sit down and relax and take a break from the shopping, get their energy back up, have a nice meal and then get back at it. And it's really nice because, although it is before Thanksgiving, a lot of the businesses are already decorated for Christmas and it just starts off that holiday spirit. And there is a reason why we do it before Thanksgiving because it is the weekend before Black Friday and, as you know, black Friday they have so many deals, whether it be in Lafayette or online, and people tend to shop that and they they're like Well, I'm not gonna spend any money because I'm gonna spend my money for Black Friday and get the sales there, but we want all of you to spend your money here locally and help benefit or businesses here in town.
Speaker 1:Spanky and I'll come to you here. What does that mean to you? I mean, I know that's very important and it's something that that you love.
Speaker 2:Well, that's huge for me as a business owner in town and a person that preaches every day to shop local. You know the reason why. In all honesty, the reason why we started this podcast is to promote businesses and church point, to promote what we're doing, how we're doing it, you know, and a lot of people still don't know what we have. I mean, you can get Oakley's, maui Jim's and all those designer ones at LAI, you know, they don't know that you know they got everywhere has different things.
Speaker 2:I mean you talking about go down the street. I mean they got a lot of stuff but people don't know it's there.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But guess what If they're walking through these places? Oh, I didn't know, y'all had a. I mean, they sell pots at the jewelry store.
Speaker 4:Correct, absolutely.
Speaker 2:Without going into the jewelry store you would never say well, they sell pots.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:When you walk in, you might buy one.
Speaker 3:Right Church point has a lot to offer. We have a wide variety of places that have many different options that people don't know about. Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2:You know like I mean in my store Trigger Grill.
Speaker 1:Well, I was going to say it. I was going to say if you didn't want to say it, I was going to say it that at Play Go Hardware there's Trigger Grills. I mean, who thought that you could get a Trigger Grill in Church Point? Yeah, we do have that.
Speaker 2:And it's hard to get that message out because, look, you can do all the Facebook posts, you can do all the newspaper, you can do all this. When you walk in somewhere and see something, I mean, look, and I and I don't mean to talk about my store, but look at that, when you're going to walk in and go to the counter, there's going to be the Jamie Badger on laundry detergent.
Speaker 2:That's going to be Bush beer soap you know, all in your face to say, hey look, we got some other stuff. And that's what y'all are doing on a grand scheme is you're getting those people to walk in those stores and look around and like, oh this, I didn't know this was here. I didn't know this was here, absolutely. And that's how this thing goes. And I can tell you it's a success because from the first year when it happened, they were calling me. They were like what is going on in Church? Point.
Speaker 3:There's people everywhere. Yes.
Speaker 4:I was like they shopping local.
Speaker 2:There's something that should be done every day.
Speaker 4:You know, that's amazing.
Speaker 2:And it fits right into what I preach all the time. With the Central Park and all this stuff, you're making a center of the community, and if we could get those businesses to spread out a walking traffic like y'all do is exactly what it's about, yeah, definitely you can go get a sandwich, you can go get a pizza, whatever. You can go back to Central Park, you can eat it. You know your kids can play. That's what a community is about, and it's such a beautiful place.
Speaker 4:You've done such a good job making a beautiful place for everyone. So this day of shopping, like Spanky said, you shop, you get your food and then you go with your family and enjoy everything that we've made here in Church Point and another thing. So after the event, we're going to have Santa. We've had Santa the last three years. We're going to have Santa this year inside of Cafe Maison and this year our time is going to be a little bit different. We usually stick around to about 5.36 and everyone's tired from a long day of shopping, so we're going to push it up.
Speaker 4:This year it's from 8 am to 3 pm on November 18th and then after 3 pm between 3 and 4, we will have Santa at Cafe Maison, inside, dressed and ready to take pictures with your families, and then we'll have some little activities for the kids. So please, this is a whole family event. Come with your kids and let them pick out a little treat and do all your Christmas shopping. Like we were saying, there's so much stuff, just the end-a-go hardware. There's all kinds of stuff that you can get for your guys and your husbands and everyone. You can mark everyone off your Christmas list on November 18th.
Speaker 1:I wanted to bring up one thing, because we do have stores. We have storefronts here in town that take part in this. Now you guys also do the little pop-up shops as well.
Speaker 4:Yes, yes, I wanted to say that too.
Speaker 1:If someone has crafts or they make different little jewelry or t-shirts, whatever it is. Will they be spots again, this time for someone who maybe has a home-based business to go and do a little pop-up shop?
Speaker 4:Absolutely so. This is a great time for those online businesses. Like Spanky just said, you can post on Facebook and social media all you want and just some people just won't see what you have to offer. And the great thing about the Bells and Bucketown event is we allow those online businesses to come and set up shop in Cafe Maison Movement Dance Studio, which is also on.
Speaker 4:Main Street CrossFit Gym and the CrossFit Gym which is next door to Cafe Maison, and they all host pop-up shops. So they have that opportunity to show everyone what they do offer and that may introduce them to a long line of committed buyers. So otherwise they may not have seen them and now they know that Church Point does have that here locally.
Speaker 2:You know, a pop-up shop is always good because that's the start of maybe a major business coming.
Speaker 4:That's a great point, spanky. So this year in Cafe Maison we, for the last three years, had two specific businesses, boutiques, that were in Cafe Maison. Well, this year they are not in Cafe Maison because they opened up on Main Street. I got chills. I'm so excited for them Y'all. So Southern Babie and Plus and Sheet boutique, a women's plus size boutique and a baby boutique, are now opened up on Main Street so they get to have their first Bells and Bucketown event in their own shop, in their own shop. So you are so right about that.
Speaker 2:That's what I'm saying on all this stuff that we do and y'all do, and it brings community. You know one of the things for the Christmas Parade the Night Christmas Parade, bells and Bucketown those are the Christmas event that we do on our leisure. Everybody comes back and says man, it was like Church, point was like on a Hallmark movie. And when I say that, those words exactly goes for those three events every time.
Speaker 3:And that was kind of my goal too when we started it. I always love those Hallmark movies, the cute little Hallmark towns, and I feel like every year it gets more and more like that Hallmark town. So I love that feeling and every year we get such positive feedback from all the people from Church Point and visiting towns.
Speaker 1:I mean, we've had people from Eunice, mamoo, crowley, lafayette people from everywhere's come Mayor, will the town and Central Park be decorated again, and that's going to be right around Thanksgiving week? Is that the plan? Again, it's the plan.
Speaker 2:I'm not going to hold you to that because obviously weather and this that the other.
Speaker 1:But I know that's always your plan.
Speaker 2:When November 1, the day after Thanksgiving, we start, just say that it'll be finished. That's a hard thing because we only have 25 days and we only work Monday to Friday, 8 hours a day, and there's a lot of stuff that goes involved. Now last year was we were figuring it out. Now we have the polls ready. We have the lines done, so we're anticipating it's going to be done a little earlier than last year because we've done it before.
Speaker 4:Right, the first year you tried.
Speaker 2:I mean when we put up that Christmas tree. It took three days because we were like we don't know how to do it.
Speaker 1:Now you know.
Speaker 2:Now we know exactly how to do it, so it's not going to take as long, but last year was the learning.
Speaker 3:If I say it's a, learning process for all of us, even me and Hannah. We still learn each we four years in and we're still changing things up, but still trying to make it better for everyone Definitely.
Speaker 2:I thank y'all for what y'all doing for this town because it goes right into my plan of what I'd like to see church want to be. Is that walking, visiting, positivity, because there's so much negativity in the world and, like we said about the Facebook, you can put positive things on there. They're just scrolling paths to find that drama.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it's unfortunate, but yes, they ain't trying to find another positive.
Speaker 2:It's what's going to make the popcorn sell you know but the thing about it is that a lot of people know it, a lot of people love it. It's a wonderful event. I mean, that's all.
Speaker 3:I can say about it. I know we love doing it. I was going to say I shopped last year more than I did the first couple years and it was amazing, like just to hear you know, you hear people talking in the background how fun they had, much fun they're having. So it was nice to shop and be able to see the other side of it. You know we see the put everything together side, but seeing the shop inside was definitely a treat last year for me yeah definitely.
Speaker 4:The first year that we did it. I remember looking on Facebook and they were like Main Street looks like Mardi Gras, what is?
Speaker 4:going on and it did Like so once I saw that out, peeked my head out. I'm all Alili and me is always a pop up shop in Cafe Maison, so I popped my head out of Cafe Maison. I looked down the road and 100% looked like Mardi Gras, because everyone was just parked up and down Main Street. Mothers were pushing their strollers everywhere, kids were in wagons and it was like a Hallmark movie. It was wonderful.
Speaker 2:And you know the quite a few years ago people would oh that'll never work in church.
Speaker 1:Oh, people love to say that.
Speaker 2:They always want to say no. You know the first Mardi Gras ball. Which aren't you the queen of the Mardi Gras ball this year?
Speaker 4:I am. I did win that this past year. Congratulations, thank you. That was such a fun time.
Speaker 2:The first time we did the Mardi Gras ball, we were laughed out of every office we went into. It was like that's never gonna work. And there was all this negativity. We kept on, kept on going and within a month, the same people that were laughing me out the building was begging me for tickets, because I think people were warning this.
Speaker 4:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:They want things to do. Because I mean church point. I can tell you Mardi Gras ball is always packed, your function is always packed, the farmer's markets is always packed. People are looking for things to do, but for a long time, a little bit of negativity would stop pretty much everything. Well, we just don't listen to that. 10%, that don't like anything, go for the ones that do, and these are all the people.
Speaker 4:And then the ones that had the negative thoughts. Like you said, they're always there at the events.
Speaker 3:And they have a wonderful time and you can't please everyone and I was like kick your rocks stupid.
Speaker 4:But you know what, where there is a will, there is a way. And we wanted this and we made it work. If you don't want to come, you don't have to come, but we do it for those that do, and so many, so many do, and we have a great time.
Speaker 2:The people that you bring are good people, family people. You know, and I'm not saying that people, they don't go about people.
Speaker 4:I'm not saying that. I know what you mean.
Speaker 1:You know like it's wholesome, it's family you know it's a family oriented event, yeah, so you can't complain of that.
Speaker 2:It's a great event and I hope you all the success and we're going to keep on rolling.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and all the success, all the businesses which I know it will be and, like yours, also in town before we wrap it up, you want to give just a quick rundown.
Speaker 1:What's going on, what time? All that good stuff.
Speaker 4:Definitely so. Again, this is our bells and buggy town event. This is our fourth annual. It's going to be on November 18th. It's always going to be the Saturday before Black Friday. That way we can get everyone shopping local for the holidays and all the holiday sales. So November 18th this year from 8am to 3pm and then after 3pm between three and four, we will have Christmas activities at Cafe Maison on Main Street and we will have Santa there dressed and ready to take pictures, and then at 4pm that's when we will announce the winner of bells and buggy town. Again, we're going to do a drawing of everyone who's shopped at 10 or more businesses and turn in their stamp cards. We're going to do a drawing and that one winner will be announced at 4pm at Cafe Maison. You do not need to be present to win, because on your stamp card you'll fill out your personal information, number and all those good things and we'll contact you and be prepared, because if you get a call from Allison and Hannah, you are the winner.
Speaker 1:Yay.
Speaker 3:I remember last year the lady we called she was actually in Rod's grocery shopping and started screaming in Rod's yes.
Speaker 4:That's awesome.
Speaker 3:It's always fun to see everybody's reaction too.
Speaker 1:Very cool. So, ladies, thank you for coming on. Mayor, as always, thanks for hosting the podcast and keeping everybody up to date with what's going on in town.
Speaker 2:Thank you all for coming.
Speaker 4:Thank you all for having us and helping us every year Make this a success.