PAPILLION, Neb. (KMTV) – Small businesses in Papillion are still reeling from the cancellation of the city's Winter Wonderland celebration and are now hoping this weekend's Cookie Crawl will help recover some of their losses.
- Papillion's Winter Wonderland cancellation devastated local businesses, with some shops making only a quarter of last year's sales.
- Fifteen downtown businesses are participating in Saturday's Cookie Crawl event, hoping to recover lost profits from the cancelled celebration.
- The $25 Cookie Crawl allows participants to visit local shops hosting bakeries and fill a box with cookies starting at 11 a.m. Saturday.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Small businesses in Papillion are still reeling from the cancellation of the city's Winter Wonderland celebration and are now pinning their hopes on this weekend's Cookie Crawl to help recover some of their losses.
Lisa Gengerich, owner of Monarch Makers in Papillion, said it's been a challenging year for local businesses, and the Winter Wonderland cancellation dealt another significant blow.
"It's hard a year anyway, and then to have to have that hit, it's sad. There's a lot of small businesses that are going out of businesses because of it," Gengerich said.
Papillion's Winter Wonderland celebration is typically the biggest sales day for local businesses. This year, Gengerich said her store didn't even do a quarter of what they did last year.
"We have 20 different businesses in here that are trying to survive, that was a big hit for us," Gengerich said.
Despite the setback, local businesses aren't giving up. Many are hoping to recoup lost profits during the Downtown Papillion Cookie Crawl this weekend.
Fifteen businesses in downtown Papillion are participating in the crawl. Each business will host a local bakery inside their shop. The Cookie Crawl costs $25 to sign up, and participants will get a box they can fill with cookies from each stop.
Gengerich said she hopes the event will help make up for some of the losses from last weekend.
"Even if we just get some new faces in the door, that's helpful for us," Gengerich said.
The Cookie Crawl begins at 11 a.m. Saturday, giving neighbors a chance to gather cookies while supporting local small businesses.
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