Tiny princesses, witches, and dragons played together as their costumed parents kept watch and chatted at the Shoppes at Thornebrook on Friday.
The family trick-or-treat event hosted around 60 vendors ready to hand out treats and information on the goods they bring to the community.
Sarah Kunkler, the event coordinator, said it’s hard to gauge attendance numbers with an open-air venue, but more than 2,500 people showed interest in the event on Facebook.
“It's just a good opportunity to have some local people out here and really just encourage people to come out to the plaza, especially people that haven't been here before,” she said.
It’s the third year the Trick-or-Treat event has been hosted by the Shoppes at Thornebrook, Kunkler said.
The stores in the center were encouraged to extend their hours for the event, providing guests with a variety of goods and services to explore. The main goal is to keep guests, owners and vendors happy, Kunkler added.
With artisans and established companies exhibited at the event, Kunkler said she was excited for the baked goods being sold by a variety of the vendors. With a number of cookies for sale, Kunkler joked that she was going to “end up with 20.”
Human goodies were not the only available snack. Jazzy's Wonderland, a dogboarding facility, was selling pet-friendly treats at its table.
“I can get cookies for myself and cookies for my dog,” she said smiling.
Kunkler was not alone in the excitement regarding the variety at the event.
Joshua Willoughby, a Gainesville resident attending the event with his family, said he is happy with the assortment of things families can interact with.
“It's not just candy,” he said. “ There's lots of activities for them to do, too.”
At one of the booths the family had spun a wheel, and received popcorn as their treat, he said.
“My son got a Venom poster and he was over the moon.” he said. “He's pretty excited. More about that than any of the candies he got.”
Willoughby said the event has introduced him to locations and services he was not aware of. He said he plans to return to Thornebrook more often to support these stores.
Events such as these are a great way to get the community rolling, he said. “I love it,” said Willoughby. “The atmosphere is perfect.”
Rebecca Putman, who has attended the event each of the past three years, said she came to enjoy the trick-or-treating with her 3-year-old daughter.
“Now, she is running around and playing with other kids, being her usual crazy 3-year-old self,” she said, keeping her eyes on her child.
Putman said she values the event’s ability to bring different people together in a safe environment. She plans on returning until her daughter is ready to give up trick-or-treating. Putman said she was looking forward to checking out the sourdough being sold at one of the tables.
“Being in a community like this, with all kinds of community events that are free and fun and safe, just makes me really glad I live in the place like Gainesville,” she said.
Kunkler said the Shoppes at Thornebrook regularly hosts events, and details can be seen on its social media. The events help the plaza build community connections and promote local businesses.
She said that giving these vendors the opportunity to interact in a space where owners are already operating brick-and-mortar locations can facilitate growth on all fronts.
“It's all about, you know, visibility and hopefully bringing in some new faces,” she said.