DAVENPORT, Iowa — 26 businesses participated in the "Deck the Downtowns Cookie Crawl," on Saturday, Nov. 23, handing out holiday treats to those passing by.
The simple, yet effective sales pitch is generating business in Downtown Davenport.
Courtney Peiffer grew up in Blue Grass but likes to spends her free time around the Quad Cities. Activities like this help her explore the community and find hidden gems.
"We were stopped by somebody that was just saying, 'Hey, you wanna come get a cookie?' And then we went up into the business, and you know, you get into the building and see other things that the city has to offer," Peiffer said.
Some of the shops provided holiday activities as well. Stopping by Analog would give you some free tokens for the arcade games, and a trip to Tiphanie's meant you could snap a picture with Mr. and Mrs. Clause.
Tiphanie's was also one of three businesses supplying cookies to the 26 locations, along with Cookies & Dreams and Blue Spruce General Store. A handful of venues decided to make their own.
Jennifer Goldsberry has run Doodads for nearly 25 years, and she said the cookie crawl has certainly helped reel customers in. She believes community events like this build comradery between shops, and gives them the chance to strut their stuff.
"[The crawl has] brought in new faces and just a tremendous crowd," Goldsberry said. "[It gives stores an opportunity] to highlight and showcase its uniqueness and some of the great things that downtown has to offer."
The adventures continued with the Downtown Davenport Partnership holding a pickle hunt. Participants had to find 10 pickle ornaments across 40 stores for a chance to win a grand prize.
If you missed the crawl but want to check out some more upcoming holiday activities around the Quad Cities, click here.