BELLE FOURCHE—With wine journals in hand, visitors could be seen wandering from store to store all along State Street. Downtown businesses joined together to offer the third Wine Up on State Street. The event brought increased foot traffic after regular business hours on the evening of October 2.
The Wine Up event is an invitation to the public to come out and see what the downtown businesses have to offer while enjoying a nice, festive evening with friends and family. “It is an exposure event. So the holidays are coming and this is just an opportunity for people to come in and find out what Belle Fourche has to offer downtown,” explained Michelle Evans, business owner.
All Belle Fourche businesses were encouraged to participate if they wanted to. When shops not located on State Street heard about the event, they wanted a way to get in on the fun! If a business wanted to participate but wasn’t on State Street, well, there was a plan for that—shared space! “Basically anybody is invited to be a planter—we have B&S Bookkeeping inside Cowboys TOO. We have SME Treats inside Pasque and Anke’s Bakery is inside Black Hills Curio, and then Red Onion Marketplace is at Pearson Block Hous, and Moxie Marketing is inside The Emporium 605,” said Evans. The partnerships give an opportunity for businesses that aren’t on State Street to join in and get the exposure. United Way of the Black Hills was hosted inside Belle Flowers & Co.
Businesses teamed up and worked together to offer a fun evening for patrons. “All the businesses are wonderfully working together and we want to expose people to their stores—it’s just a great night out, it’s a beautiful night,” shared Evans.
At the welcome table located in front of Robb Park, participants could ask questions, buy wristbands and pick up a Wine Journal that contained all of the participating businesses, where they were located and what wine they were offering. There was also space to keep track of the flavors they enjoyed.
Participants could start at any business on the wine map. Upon entering each business, they were greeted with a special table that was often elegantly decorated, where small glasses of wine were offered along with specially curated food that paired well with the drink.
The Hitching Post Tap House was in charge of finding and ordering most of the wine for the event. Each business prepared the treats to pair with its wine. Evans suggested visiting the Tap House to inquire about any of the wine available during the Wine Up event.
There was a variety of wines for people to sample, with something for almost everyone, including Ramsay Merlot, Roscato Rose Dolce, Yellow Tail Strawberry Lime, Yellow Tail Sangria, King Estate Pinot Noir, White Zinfandel, Guinigi Prosecco, Klinker Brick Cabernet Sauvignon, Huber Sparkling Rose, Sean Minor Red Blend, Sungarden Dornfelder, Omen Zinfandel, Baci Dolce White, Folktale Riesling, King Estate Pinot Gris, Castello del Poggio Lambrusco, Cupcake Sweet Red and Pitule Moscato d’Asti.
The business turnout was good, with most stores in the downtown area joining in on the fun. Seventeen State Street shops participated in the event and hosted six businesses inside downtown locations, bringing the total to 23 participants.
Business owners intended to create a special event for the community. “We want them to enjoy themselves, and we really appreciate everybody coming out and we hope that everyone enjoyed the evening and will come see us during the holidays,” said Evans. “Just remember that we have a thriving downtown that is building!”
To find out more about events on State Street, follow Shop State Street on Facebook. Businesses that participated in the Wine Up event were Belle Flowers and Co., Black Hills Curio Co., Anke’s Bakery, B & S Bookkeeping, The Circle Lounge, Cowboy Back Bar, Cowboys Too!, Outlaw Bar, Pasque Ladies Fashions, SME Treats, Pearson Block Candy Shop, Pearson Block Hous, Red Onion Marketplace, Elizabeth Ann’s Bridal, Hair Gallery, Love That Shoppe, Hitching Post Tap House, Prairie Hills Pharmacy, Quality Quick Print, Sowers & Son Dirty Laundry, The 605 Emporium, Moxie Marketing and United Way of the Black Hills.
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