Cookie Crawl helps kick off holiday season in Davenport

Amanda Frazer had a busy Saturday in her downtown Davenport business – Rosalee Jewelry at 221 E. Second St. She was greeting people, showing examples of her jewelry, and handing out a lot of free cookies. Ms. Frazer and her business were part of Deck the Downtowns Cookie Crawl event  presented by the Downtown Davenport […]

Amanda Frazer had a busy Saturday in her downtown Davenport business – Rosalee Jewelry at 221 E. Second St. She was greeting people, showing examples of her jewelry, and handing out a lot of free cookies. Ms. Frazer and her business were part of Deck the Downtowns Cookie Crawl event  presented by the Downtown Davenport Partnership (DDP) on Saturday, Nov. 23. That event showcased 26 downtown businesses and sites. It featured free cookies supplied by Blue Spruce General Store, Cookies & Dreams and Tiphanie’s, plus exclusive deals, holiday games and activities. But the main attraction for many business owners was a great opportunity to show their goods and services and help get customers into the holiday spirit.

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“There’s people  in here today who didn’t even know I existed. … It’s nice to be on the map with them,” said Ms. Frazer, who operates a by-appointment business specializing in creating one-of-a-kind designer jewelry. Around noon Saturday,  Rosalee Jewelry had a steady stream of people looking over the studio and rings on display as they also enjoyed a tray filled with chocolate cookies. Most of those in the downtown crowd enjoying the Cookie Crawl first attended Saturday's Festival of Trees Parade before heading downtown to shop for shirts, artwork, model planes and many other gifts. “The Festival of Trees Parade kicks off a fun-filled day in downtown Davenport and we wanted to provide Quad Citizens and visitors more reasons to stay downtown and shop at our local businesses that day,” Alisha Espey, DDP’s director of programs and events, said in a news release before the event. “The Cookie Crawl is a family-friendly event that will help kick off the holiday season.” Several business owners and managers said that the kickoff event proved to be a great success for them. For instance, RAYGUN, located at 210 E. Second St., had a big day showing its unique inventory of T-shirts, coffee mugs, books, posters and much more. “This has, by far, been the busiest day we’ve had in the two years we’ve been open. … A lot of people are coming in to see what’s in here,” said Eric Bierman, manager of RAYGUN. He added that many people were buying shirts, cards and holiday ornaments. Across the street from RAYGUN,  others were looking over the many model kits and other items available at Major Art & Hobby, 201 E. Second St. Store employees said many were interested in the models, hobby supplies and custom framing in the store. One of those customers was Bailey Hager of Davenport. “I’m looking for replacement parts for my airbrush. … I’m also just looking around for other things that are available here,” she said. In addition, scores of people going through downtown Davenport also were looking for a meal. They found plenty of food at Tiphanie’s at 210 E. Second St.  They also found the owner, Tiphanie Cannon, busy doing a dozen jobs over the noon hour. She was seating people, clearing tables and sweeping up floors as people crowded into the place. “We’re swamped today. I think our (free) cookies were all gone in five minutes,” she added. After enjoying eating lunch at Tiphanie’s, shoppers hit the Cookie Crawl trail again with stops at the Figge Art Museum, Doodads as well as at the Trolley Pub Quad Cities garage and business office at 221 E. Second St. That business features pedal-powered vehicles that can seat up to 14 riders who bring their own alcoholic drinks and go on a pub-crawling tour of downtown Davenport. Passengers, who power the vehicles by pedal, also get an electric assist motor for the hills. During Saturday’s event, Janae Arnold was in the Trolley Pub office, handing out cookies and telling people about the business. “There’s been a lot of families and couples stopping in today. … They just want to see what we are about,” she said. Not far from the Trolley Pub office, the Illuminate Healing Studio, located in the Bucktown Lofts building, was attracting a crowd that learned about some of the classes that help people relax, learn and heal. Some of those classes include yoga, Thai bodywork and reiki. “We’ve had people come in all day. … They like the cookies and they just want to see what we offer,” said Becky Nakashina Brooke, the owner of Illuminate.