Approximately 45 Creswell and surrounding area businesses participated in an exciting, new, business-oriented event, The Taste of Creswell, held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 20 at Creswell Community Center.
Organized by Maia Hardy, who is the Community and Economic Development Coordinator for the City of Creswell, and co-sponsored by the City of Creswell and the Creswell Chamber of Commerce, the event was designed to provide a way for members of the local business community – including those operating without a storefront location – to market themselves to the rest of their community.
Businesses were invited to set up a table at no charge, where they could vend their products, give out samples, hand out literature, etc., and the estimated 300 people who visited the event could circulate, meet the business owners or employees and speak with them about their services and products, etc.
A popular local band, The Fret Boys, and Moveable Feet provided live music and dancing, and food and a raffle rounded out the evening.
“The community was invited to come, learn, eat, drink, dance and get to know each other,” Hardy said, noting that the event proved so successful that she actually had to turn away additional businesses that wanted tables because she ran out of space at the community center.
“It would be great to see this event again next year, but in a different venue with more space,” Hardy said. “It was packed!”
The idea for The Taste of Creswell came to Hardy shortly after she first arrived in Creswell and began interviewing local business owners to get a sense of their needs.
“It became apparent that there were several folks that own and operate businesses from their home, without a storefront. A community member and I dreamed about having an event like The Taste of Creswell, and I said ‘Let’s do it,’” Hardy said.
Among the businesses in attendance were The Creswell Bakery, which gave out samples of bread and cupcakes; Harrold’s Dairy, which gave out small bottles of Darigold milk; Legal Shield, which gave out chocolates and business information; and Alpacas at Hum Sweet Hum, which demonstrated spinning alpaca fiber.
Tangled Orchard Farm sold fresh eggs; Burlap and Lace displayed items for sale in the vintage boutique; Creswell Coffee Co. offered cookies and coffee; Emerald Fitness handed out lists of classes; and Tana’s Cuttin’ Corral held a raffle and advertised their salon services.
Also on hand were representatives of the Creswell Chamber of Commerce.
“It seemed like everyone had a really great time,” Hardy said. “It is inevitable that most people support Eugene/Springfield businesses, because most people work in Eugene/Springfield, but my goal was to show that there are businesses in Creswell, and we should try to support them.”
Originally published in The Creswell Chronicle
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