Vintage shoppers visit stores for special prices, prizes during 6th annual Shop Hop

JEAN SEEGERS PHOTOS The Herald
Sue Yerly, from Orland Park, Il, is a regular customer at “A Little Bird Told Me,” vintage shop in Roscoe. Yerly, and a group of friends visited several area stores in Roscoe, Rockton and South Beloit participating in the Vintage Shop Hop, on Friday, March 1 and Saturday, March 2. The event was presented by owner and manager Ann Campos.

Vintage shoppers visit stores for special prices, prizes during 6th annual Shop Hop
By Jean Seegers
REPORTER
Shoppers from northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin flocked to vintage shops, antique malls, women’s boutiques, home décor and vintage barn sales for a day of road-tripping and great bargain opportunities. According to event organizer and owner Ann Campos, this year marked the sixth year for the event,
On Friday and Saturday, March 1 and 2, every participating shop featured discounts, giveaways, raffle drawings, demos, make-and takes, and ideas on re-purposing old items. “The idea was simply to give shoppers a reason to call their friends and spend the day shopping for vintage décor in their own backyard,” Campos said. “It’s a road trip on steroids.”
Each participating shop was required to have an in-store promotion for the weekend.
The Vintage Shop Hop has grown from 180 shops the first year to 506 this year. The event stretches across Illinois and Wisconsin from the Mississippi River on the west to lake Michigan on the east, north to Stevens Point and lake regions in Wisconsin and south to I-88 in Illinois. Campos said social media has played a huge role in the growth of Vintage Shop Hop.
“Winter is a slow time for gift related retail shops. Small business owners need a shot in the arm to boost their sales and give shoppers a reason to leave their house.”
An added attraction was the opportunity to win the grand prize of one $25 gift certificate from every shop listed on a punch card. Shoppers could pick up a card at any participating shop on either day of the event. A minimum of 15 punches over the two-day event was required. The cards were dropped off at the final stop.
“I believe the Vintage Shop Hop has grown so fast because small business owners were looking for a fun, low cost way to promote not only their shops but their towns,” Campos said.
More vintage shopping is heading this way with the return of Nellie’s Barn sale in October.