Saturday, Feb. 3, chocolate lovers filled the streets of downtown Athens with pink bags as they participated in Athens Main Street’s annual Chocolate Walk.
“We had a record number of participating businesses. Most reported brisk sales and happy shoppers,” said Main Street director Tere Richardson.
Along with ticketed participants collecting chocolate goodies, all shoppers were able to cash in on sales from the downtown shops. Shoppers were entered in a contest to win $500 in “love bucks.”
“New this year was our $500 Shopping Spree Giveaway thanks to our sponsor Dream Key Real Estate. Our winner, Kecia Wynn was thrilled,” Richardson said.
Wynn was from out of town, and this would align with approximately 50 percent of other visitors, according to statistics from the 2023 event.
“(Wynn) and a friend bought tickets, enjoyed the day, shopped and ate downtown. She said, ‘My friend and I enjoyed the event so much. We are foodies and loved seeing all the new restaurants. Loved the shops, too!’ This is exactly why we do this event. We want to draw people from all over our area to downtown. She said they will most definitely be back,” Richardson said.
Other visitors were from Athens, including one mother-daughter duo who came to celebrate Mary Ann Chambers’s birthday.
“An Athens Main Street Happy Birthday shoutout to Mary Ann Chambers! Thanks to her daughter, Theresa, she was able to enjoy the Chocolate Walk as a birthday treat,” Athens Main Street shared in a Facebook post.