Molly Clayton of Latrobe and her mother, JoAnn Ridilla, a Unity resident, don’t get to downtown Greensburg very often.
With clear skies, temperatures in the 70s and retail promotions, conditions were ideal for a trip there on Saturday — during an inaugural “Blooms & Sips: Mother’s Day Stroll” shopping event.
The weather also was suitable for staying home to tackle garden and yard chores.
But, said Ridilla, “We decided we weren’t working. Its just a beautiful day.
“My daughter called and asked if I wanted to come here and do lunch and shop at some of the shops we don’t get to.”
Clayton was looking forward to her sons taking her out for a Mother’s Day meal on Sunday. But Saturday was all about spending quality time with her own mom.
Clayton bought some baguettes from a local bakery and enjoyed meeting some therapy dogs that were on hand at another store.
‘That was a highlight for me,” she said.
Following the example of many other shoppers, they made enough purchases at participating stores to qualify for a small bouquet of Mother’s Day flower stems.
Shoppers also could sample a selection of cocktails or mock-tails while browsing at the stores.
A steady flow of customers passed through Penelope’s gift shop, where owner Mary Wilmes greeted them with mock-tails of lemon-lime soda and Margarita mix.
“We sold a lot of Mother’s Day cards and gifts,” said Wilmes. “Some ladies were buying gifts for themselves for Mother’s Day, which is always nice, too.”
Karen Wright of Jackson Township, Cambria County, splurges on just a few shopping trips to Greensburg each year. She and her husband, Gary, timed their latest visit to coincide with Blooms & Sips and made a day of it.
“I’m just here to carry the packages,” he said.
His wife took stock of her haul from various shops — including candies, cheddar and Asiago snacks, a new peach-colored outfit and some fancy plates. Among the beverages she sipped were hard lemonade and a tea-and-raspberry mock sangria.
“For me, it’s a day of fun and enjoyment and spending money,” she said. “It’s exciting to try something new.”
At one of the newer downtown stores, RSVP Gift and More, Greensburg resident Becca Grimm bought a Mother’s Day mug for her friend, Meagan Perez of Belle Vernon.
Perez, whose first child will have his first birthday in June, focused her pre-Mother’s Day shopping spree by picking up a matching Father’s Day mug and a book as gifts for her husband.
On Mother’s Day, she said, “We’re big outdoors people, so we’re going to go for a hike at Ohiopyle.”
The friends met for a cup of coffee in Greensburg on Saturday. Then, Grimm “said let’s walk around, and we just stumbled upon this Mother’s Day event.
“It feels like Greensburg’s growing a lot. Even two years ago, there weren’t as many (stores) open.”
Blooms & Sips was a collaborative effort of the Greensburg Business & Professional Association and students in Jen Jones’ organizational leadership class at Seton Hill University.
“The students have really put a lot of extra time into it,” Amy Beeghly, president of the business group, said of Saturday’s event.
With some guidance from members of the group, the students created promotional materials for the event as well as the tickets shoppers redeemed for flowers.
“They got to interact with business leaders and then practice their leadership skills,” said Jones. “I’m really proud of everything that they’ve done.”
The students decided to have shops serve beverages with paper cups, instead of plastic ones.
“We wanted to keep it sustainable,” said Troy McClelland of Export, a freshman sports communication major.
McClelland appeared in some social media videos to promote the event, which he said is valuable experience as he hopes to one day operate a sports training facility.
“It’s learning how to talk to people and being personable,” he said. “Learning how to organize an event like this is important.”
Some of the students pitched in to help hand out flowers at the event.
“It’s finals week,” McClelland noted. “It’s distribution of labor.”