ROANOKE, Va. – You have just one weekend left to enjoy Delta Dental Dickens of a Christmas in downtown Roanoke.
This Friday, the Roanoke Valley SPCA Pet Costume Contest is taking place. This year, there is even something new: a snowless snowball fight.
Director of Marketing and Communications Izzy Post from Downtown Roanoke, Inc. said they don’t keep a headcount, but during the three days the event takes place, tens of thousands of people attend.
There are even carriage rides and there are s’more stations.
“I really just love to see everybody coming out and enjoying the holiday season what we do at Downtown Roanoke, Inc. is to really bolster Downtown Roanoke here and to see so many people come out and enjoy what we have to offer here in our hometown, it’s awesome,” said Post.
Delta Dental Dickens of a Christmas also helps the local businesses in Downtown Roanoke.
Serenity Treasures sells arts and crafts, clothing and jewelry handmade in Ireland, Nepal and Italy. Owner Dev Oli said they see hundreds of people visit their store. Oli said not everybody buys something, but they do come back into the store.
“We always need customers; without customers, you cannot even imagine your business getting success. So, we see so many people and then they know about our products. They see us and then they know what we sell. So, to many people, it means many possibilities of doing business,” said Oli.
Chocolate Paper, which sells chocolate and cards, has also seen success from Delta Dental Dickens of a Christmas.
Store Manager Jessie Marsh said they have seen a higher turnout this year in sales due to the event.
She said when the event happens, the lines are long and they even have to open an extra register.
“We love getting new customers. You know, always having the opportunity to create a repeat customer or have people back to do more gift shopping. Valentine’s Day is coming up, so it’s a good opportunity to give a good impression and have them return maybe for other gifts later on in the year,” said Marsh.