This holiday season, as you’re rushing around Carytown in search of stocking stuffers after listening to “Jingle Bell Rock” for the millionth time, don’t be alarmed if a friendly stranger hands you a gift.
This holiday season, as you’re rushing around Carytown in search of stocking stuffers after listening to “Jingle Bell Rock” for the millionth time, don’t be alarmed if a friendly stranger hands you a gift.
“We wanted to be able to approach the customers in a different way during the holidays,” says Camille Bird, owner of Sacred Waters Holistic Spa & Boutique.
The Carytown Merchants’ Association has collected donations from Richmond-area businesses and is distributing these presents to unsuspecting shoppers in “random acts of kindness.” Goodies range from $10 store certificates to gift baskets worth several hundred dollars.
The idea came from Darryl Flick, owner of O Virginia, who started the tradition last year. During the 2013 holiday season in Carytown, 271 envelopes worth over $5,700 in coupons, goods, and services from Richmond businesses were given away to shoppers.
Sometimes gift recipients respond in unexpected ways. “It’s so funny to see people’s reactions,” Bird says. “Sometimes people say ‘uh, what do you mean?'”
Paula Rhoads, owner of Urban Interiors, remembers one man who crossed his arms and refused to accept a present from her, even after she assured him it was free and that there were no strings attached. “I think people, unfortunately, are suspect of something being given away,” she says. “[But these gifts] are strictly welcoming people to Carytown and saying thank you for being here.”
Bird agrees that Richmond’s beloved shopping district is not about sales gimmicks.
“Carytown is so different from that,” she says. “We love the relationship in our interactions with people.”
That’s not to say that patrons don’t get excited about the unexpected presents, because most of them do. Rhoads loves to see the expressions of surprise and wonder on people’s faces, and finds the experience extremely rewarding. “It’s a feel-good thing all around,” she says.
The choice to schedule the random acts of kindness during the holidays is far from coincidental–the Carytown Merchants’ Association is aiming to bring old-fashioned magic back into the season. “Bringing that happy, magical surprise back into the holidays is what’s really important to us,” says Bird. “The happy magical surprise is what giving is about.”
