Good Morning…I hope that you all had a lovely Thanksgiving yesterday! The weather was absolutely perfect here on St. John and, if you are here, I hope you had the opportunity to get out and enjoy it. And now, here we are on the biggest shopping day of the year with a lot of restrictions limiting the flood of holiday shoppers into traditional day after Thanksgiving shopping sprees. So, many shopaholics will revert to online shopping this year. A lot of you have asked how you can support local businesses while away from the island. Well, here’s a perfect opportunity….
Like so many things in 2020, the holiday season on St. John is calling for some adjustments to the annual events that we all know and love. Many of our gatherings have already been cancelled and the uncertainty of the upcoming busy season has many local businesses wondering how this year is going to look. Well, lucky for us, the residents and business owners of St. John understand the need to be resilient and flexible as a community in times like these.
The close knit community of St. John supports the artistic and independent entrepreneurs that comprise Mongoose Junction. This trying year has included two shutdowns, combined with an uncertain future and loss of revenue so the need to “shop local” is more important than ever for the economy of the Virgin Islands.
Since the mid 80’s, the Merchants Association of Mongoose Junction has hosted an “Evening in the Courtyard” on the Friday after Thanksgiving. An evening of fabulous shopping, food & drink specials, live music and entertainment provides a kick-off to the Holiday Season. Over the years this event has become a way to connect with friends and neighbors, many of whom are returning to St. John for the winter season.
As we all know, (sigh) gatherings are a no-no this year and our community is taking that very seriously. Another shut down could be tragic for a lot of our small business owners. In light of this and in an effort to continue to support the artists and entrepreneurs of Mongoose Junction, the Merchants Association is taking their holiday shopping event to the web. So you can play too!
This year the holiday shopping event will be held over three days…beginning today! Friday through Sunday of this weekend there are multiple ways to participate in the support of Mongoose businesses and possibly win a great prize!
1) In Store- If you are lucky enough to be on St. John November 27-29, stop by Mongoose Junction and knock out some of your holiday shopping (masks required). For each purchase at one of the many stores or restaurants, you will receive a raffle ticket.
2) Online- If you aren’t here this weekend and would like to try your hand at a win while also supporting the Mongoose businesses, shop online! Same rules…each online purchase will receive a raffle ticket.
Either way, the more you shop, the more opportunities you will get to win a $500 gift certificate good for any of the businesses at Mongoose Junction! A total of two $500 gift certs will be awarded on December 1 at 5PM. One of them will go to an in-store shopper and one to an online shopper. The raffle drawing will take place as a virtual event on the Mongoose Junction Facebook page.
Things have been difficult for everyone, everywhere, over the past few months. And on St. John, some of our businesses have endured 100 plus days of shut down in 2020.
“It’s unique that we are reaching out to our off island visitors who can also support small businesses that have endured days of shutdowns,” said Beverly Lockett, President of Merchants Association of Mongoose Junction.
So, this weekend, enjoy some online or in person holiday shopping (or dining!) at Mongoose Junction and enter to win the raffle with every purchase!
Come to shop and explore Mongoose Junction and stay for drinks, a great meal or locally made beer. And every day is a great day for ice cream, with some fun holiday flavors available!
Mongoose Junction is just a five minute walk from the ferry dock, and is conveniently located for locals and visitors from St. Thomas. There is also free parking while on the premises. We hope you will shop local this season and join us either online or on St. John.
A list of participating retailers can be found on the Mongoose Junction directory.