Meet at the Caboose for cash mob Thursday

PALMER — It’s time again for the monthly cash mob event downtown.

This month, folks will gather at the Caboose Lounge in the Valley Hotel to socialize for a few minutes before the official announcement is made about which Palmer business has been invited to host this month’s cash mob, said organizer Denise Statz.

She said most people will arrive about 6 p.m., but folks are invited to come earlier to eat dinner and enjoy a drink and conversation before the formal festivities begin.

One local business will be invited to host the cash mob event each month during 2013, Statz said. But the only way to find out who the host is for this month is to be at the Caboose Lounge at 6:50 p.m., Feb. 21 when she will announce the news.

The plan is to take advantage of Palmer’s pedestrian experience and walk from the Caboose to the host business, she said. Businesses invited to host the cash mob event are asked to step up and help create a special event, too.

“I always ask, ‘What can you do to make this an event for your shoppers?’” Statz said.

In January, Palmer Bar was host to the first local cash mob event.

At the first cash mob event, Palmer Bar co-owner Mary Lou Coddington said it was still too soon to say whether the smoke-free rules had hurt the bar’s bottom line. But she said Jan. 17 during the event that she had to add three more people to the Thursday night shift to serve the standing-room-only crowd.

The idea is to bring people together to socialize, showcase Palmer and give its businesses an economic boost, she said.

“It think people are pretty excited about it,” Statz said.

The goal for the first event was to bring together 200 people who would each commit to spend $20 at the host business, Statz said.

Statz, who owns Non-Essentials in downtown Palmer, said a $4,000 sales day is largely unheard of for her business, except for a couple of days during the Christmas shopping season.

Check the Cash Mob Palmer AK Facebook page — facebook.com/CashMobPalmerAk — for monthly updates on where the group will meet.

Contact managing editor Heather A. Resz at 352-2268 or heather.resz@frontiersman.com.