NEWBURYPORT — Anyone who can spot a gold shamrock or say “Shamrock Shop Hop” really quick will be in luck Saturday, when the Newburyport Retail Collective hosts its first-ever Shamrock Shop Hop scavenger hunt.
The event will be offering a $150 gift certificate to The Port Tavern to the lucky raffle winner who finds a gold shamrock in a participating store or says “Shamrock Shop Hop” 10 times in 15 seconds.
“We want people to come down and shop and experience the downtown,” Newburyport Retail Collective executive director Eben Diskin said. “This has been a tough winter for the community and this will be a fun event to get people in the door.”
Formed late last year, the collective is a group of local shop owners dedicated to seeing one another thrive through communication, collaboration as well as community.
With the Shamrock Shop Hop, Diskin said he’s looking to liven up the downtown retail scene on the way to St. Patrick’s Day.
On Saturday, from noon to 5 p.m., retailers in 17 downtown business, including Illume Books, The Green Plum, Valerie’s Gallery as well as the Beach Plum Flower Shop will be hiding gold shamrocks in their stores.
People who find one can exchange it for a ticket, then be entered into a random drawing to win a $150 gift certificate to The Port Tavern.
“That’s everyone’s favorite Irish bar,” Diskin said. “So they can use it on St Patrick’s Day, or any day they want.”
Additional tickets will also be given to people who take a picture in a store with a gold shamrock, post it on Instagram, as well as tag/follow the establishment and the Newburyport Retail Collective.
Illume Books owner Jen Perry tried Friday to get the tongue-twisting phase out of her mouth the requisite 10 times in 15 seconds but failed miserably.
“I can’t get past saying it four times,” she said. “I think we’re going to try to get a bunch of people saying it on the street this weekend and put out an Instagram reel. We think that should be pretty funny.”
Diskin, on the other hand, had no problems saying the phrase.
The Shop Hop promotion was the brainchild of Perry.
She said she wanted to do something fun that gets people excited about the downtown.
“Come down and have some fun at a time when everyone’s hibernating,” she said. “This will be our first big event. So we want to see how it goes and smooth out any wrinkles, moving forward. But I think it’s going to be really good.”
The Newburyport Retail Collective hosted a holiday shopping spree over the holiday season. Diskin said the group began taking in dues last month but stressed its not in competition with the Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce.
“We’re focused on the brick-and-mortar businesses in the downtown, while the chamber has a broader focus,” he said.
The following retailers will be participating in the Shamrock Shop Hop.
Amy Williams – BC Essentials – Beach Plum Flower Shop – Design of Mine – Good Dog Gallery – Green House Goods – Lively Kids – South End Yarn – The Green Plum – The Brass Lyon – Illume Books – The Wild Clover – Valerie’s Gallery – Soak & Shoreline – Greetings By Design – Smith Sullivan Antiques & Curiosities – as well as Coastal Chic.