Posted by: downtownnac | July 12, 2010

Social Networking saved a local business….

The economy has shut down many Bay area restaurants, and the owner of the St. Pete Brasserie thought his was next.

Andrew ‘Wilco’ Wilkins was about to close up business when he said he swallowed his pride and posted his dilemma on Facebook. Now Wilkins credits the social networking site for saving his restaurant.

Business had been slow at the restaurant for the past few months. Wilkins said things had been good when he first opened last November, but it dropped off in March.

Employee Danielle Webb said she was worried about the fate of the restaurant.

“When you’re not having that business, people aren’t coming in, no one’s making money,” she said. “Not just the restaurant but all of us as employees as well.”

Nobody was more worried than Wilkins, who posted the following message to Facebook as a “cry for mercy:”

“The situation at St. Pete Brasserie is dire. They are poised to close their doors if a miracle does not happen this week. Please support our local, independent restaurants. They have a great menu with an inspired chef and good prices. Prix fixe is $17. 15 jobs are at stake.”

Customers immediately reacted to the post and did their part to keep the restaurant open.

“I think it was very clever of him to do it, and it was a very honest thing and probably very hard for him to do that,” said customer Donna Gilbert, who ate at the restaurant four times last week.

Customer Toni Spagnoli said she pitched in by spreading the word.

“When I saw the post, I immediately re-posted it,” she said. “And that’s how things turn viral on Facebook.”

The outpouring of support was so massive that Wilkins said he had to reopen the dining room on the other side of the restaurant, which has lain dormant for months.

“I was blown away, yeah, blown away,” he said.

Wilkins said his sales went up 40 percent. He said his post also attracted the attention of some potential investors.

A few days later, he took to Facebook again, this time with a different message:

“Well, thanks to the overwhelming support shown by our wonderful loyal customers, St. Pete Brasserie has a new lease of life. So please spread the word that the doors are staying open.”

Wilkins wants to keep customers coming in, so he is offering 25 percent off the entire check during certain nights for teachers, hairdressers and the restaurant’s “friends” on Facebook.

Posted by: downtownnac | July 7, 2010

Why Main Street?

Posted by: shopnacfirst | July 1, 2010

Start the Fourth on the Third at Farmers Market

Locally-grown fruits and vegetables are featured at the Nacogdoches Farmers Market.

Join growers, bakers and crafters this Saturday at the Nacogdoches Farmer’s Market to stock up on a variety of handcrafted, locally grown items. The Nacogdoches Farmer’s Market is currently open on Saturday mornings and Wednesday afternoons and offers fresh produce, unique gifts, and a variety of other delicious items.
This Saturday July 3rd the fabulous Miki Lynn will be playing.

Things to look for this Saturday: baked goods (breads, cookies & pies), canned goods (wild-picked jams and jellies including may haw, blackberry, muscatine and wild plum as well as jams, marmalades, preserves, chow-chow, pickled vegetables, salsas and relishes), artisan Texas cheeses, free-range eggs, tilapia fish, flowers, herbs (basil, cilantro, dill, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sorrel and thyme), local raw honey, jewelry, plants, starter plants and preserves. Local produce including: green beans, beets, blackberries, blueberries, carrots, sweet corn, cucumbers (stripped derby & suyo long), eggplants, greens (collards & Swiss chard), lettuce (butter crunch & romaine), okra, onions (red & yellow), peaches, fresh shelled peas (pinto & purple hull), unshelled peas (cream & purple hull), peppers (Anaheim, banana, Bell & jalapenos), plums, new potatoes, squash (butternut, causa magda, flying saucer, Italian heirloom, sunburst, tonda mezzi, 2 types of yellow & zucchini), tomatoes (cherry, green, Roma and several varieties of red slicer) and watermelons.

If you would like to sign up for the weekly Farmers’ Market email update, please send an email to obriens@ci.nacogdoches.tx.us. You are also more than welcome to visit www.farmermktnac.blogspot.com for the weekly update. Also be a fan on facebook@NacogdochesFarmersMarket.

The Nacogdoches Farmers’ Market, located at the “hitch lot” at the corner of West Main and Pearl Streets, is open from 8 a.m. until noon or later every Saturday morning. The market will be open twice a week, Saturday mornings and from 4 to 7 p.m. every Wednesday. If the market parking lot is full, additional parking is available in the Nacogdoches County Courthouse Annex parking lot.

These downtown stores will be available for you to shop on Monday, June 28

Brick Street Antiques and Collectibles
316 E. Main St.

Fashion Shop
102 North St.

Greer’s Fabric, Inc.
322 E. Main St.

Heart of Texas
110 S. Pecan St.

House of Traditions
314 E. Main St.

Kennedy’s Jewelry
201 E. Main St.

Lyric’s LaTeeDas and OohLaLas

409 E. Main St.

Main Street Antique Mall
318 E. Main St.

Nacogdoches Antique Mall
412 E. Main St.

Olde Town General Store
205 E. Main St.

Sloane’s Antiques
404 E. Main St.

The Good Book
400 E. Main St.

Voyagers Dream

123 E. Main St.

The Wildflower
406 E. Main St.

Posted by: shopnacfirst | June 25, 2010

Frredom Fest – July 4th Celebration

5:00 PM to 9:30 PM
Join The Oldest Town in Texas as we celebrate the Fourth of July with lots of food, fun and fireworks. Live music, delicious food and fun activities for children and the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile! Fireworks start 30 minutes after dark. Located in Downtown Nacogdoches. Phone 1-888-OLDEST-TOWN for more information.

Posted by: chireno | April 1, 2010

Mr. Treat in the neighborhood

Mr. Treat stopped by the Chamber and entertained with blueberry snow cones and music to munch by.

See Mr. Treat and have your own tasty, cold experience at the Texas Blueberry Festival, Saturday, June 12, in downtown Nacogdoches. Click for more pictures.

Posted by: chireno | March 25, 2010

Dawn Stover to conduct Azalea Trail floral presentation

Dawn Stover, Research Associate with the SFA Mast Arboretum, will conduct a cut flower presentation, “What Grows Out, Can Come In,” at the Art of Floral Design, Color & Textures from the Gardens beginning at 11 a.m. The floral exhibit will be held this Saturday, March 27 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Cole Art Center, 329 E. Main, as part of the Nacogdoches Azalea Trail.

Ms. Stover currently maintains the living plant collection within the SFA Mast Arboretum. She is responsible for maintenance of the Arboretum and the horticulture greenhouse facilities. She is also responsible for two increasingly successful sales annually that raise money for the Arboretum, as well as coordinating student workers and volunteers. Very often she can be found teaching labs for horticulture students and lecturing in a wide variety of gardening enthusiasts in the region. She also serves as editor of Garden News, a quarterly newsletter published for Arboretum members, and on occasion, Ms. Stover writes for other garden related publications.

As part of her research responsibilities, Ms. Stover trials a wide range of herbaceous plant materials and disseminates information within the horticulture industry as well as the gardening public. She is also an Instructor of Record in the Department of Agriculture at SFA, teaching a course in annuals and perennials on a biennial basis.

“Dawn’s presentation will be held at 11 a.m. and offers plant lovers an opportunity to learn about outstanding plants for East Texas landscapes that are perfect for use as cut flowers,” said Sherry Ward, event organizer. “This is an ideal topic to

the showcase of floral arrangements, which features the talents of local gardeners, designers and plant enthusiasts. The extensive variety of plant materials used in the arrangements is always a topic of discussion and an important element in the beauty of the wonderful floral designs created each year.”

The floral exhibit is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Ledbetter Gallery of the Cole Art Center. Admission is free and the festivities include door prizes, refreshments, and a silent auction. The event is sponsored by the Nacogdoches Art League and Sherry Ward Fine Arts Studio.

For more information about the floral exhibit, contact Sherry Ward Fine Arts Studio at (936) 564-2066. For more information about the Azalea Trail, call the Nacogdoches Convention & Visitors Bureau at 936-564-7351 or 888-OLDEST-TOWN or visit www.nacogdochesazaleas.com.

Posted by: downtownnac | March 24, 2010

Spring Fling this Saturday!

Join us this Saturday, March 27th at the Nacogdoches Farmer’s Market to help kick off spring in Texas’ Oldest Town. There is sure to be something to please everyone of all ages, so bring the whole family down and enjoy the day with us!

The Spring Fling will get underway at 8 a.m. with live entertainment, children’s activities and much much more! Children’s Activities include: a Nature Walk, Yoga Class, and Bounce House. There will also be a veggie walk, flower bed painting, soap bubbles, seed planting, and sing alongs just to name a few. The event will go until 1 p.m.
A full morning of live entertainment is schedule featuring Cindy Grayson
Michael Collins & John Mefford, Buffalo Grass and Vortex of Love & Musical Goodness
We will have over 25 vendors set up with a variety of items such as: 100 % Blue Belgian Beef, Plants and Flowers galore, Flora Garden Club Azalea Trail Cart Raffle, one of a kind jewerly, beautiful Cut Glass, hand carved benches, scrumptious pies, fresh breads, and that is just the tip of the ice burg! We promise you won’t be disappointed.

The Nacogdoches Farmers’ Market, located at the “hitch lot” at the corner of West Main and Pearl Streets, is open from 8 a.m. until noon or later every Saturday and Wednesday. If the market parking lot is full, additional parking is available in the Nacogdoches County Courthouse Annex parking lot. For more information about the market contact Sarah O’Brien, Main Street Manager, at 559-2573 or visit www.farmermktnacblogspot.com.

Posted by: downtownnac | March 16, 2010

Downtown plant sale set for March 20

The Flora Garden Club and area nurseries will be offering a variety of azaleas, perennials, houseplants and other choice ornamental shrubs and trees at the annual Azalea Plant Sale Saturday, March 20, on the downtown square.
The plant sale will be held from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. and is part of the 2010 Nacogdoches Azalea Trail, which continues through the end of the month. Organizers say plant enthusiasts should come early for the best selection and bring a cart or wagon to transport plants.
“The plant sale brings our community together to officially kick-off spring and allows patrons to see what local nurseries have to offer to beautify our town,” says Camille Bolinger, project chairman for Flora Garden Club. “Proceeds from the sale are put back into community projects by supporting SFA scholarships, the Old Nacogdoches University Building and Gardens, Arbor Day, and Millard’s Crossing.”
Plant vendors will be set up along Fredonia Street on the downtown square between Regions Bank and the Visitor Center. Shoppers can park along nearby streets or in the large lot behind the bank.
Flora Garden Club will also sell raffle tickets for $1 (or six for $5) for a heavy-duty garden cart, which is packed with gardening goodies donated by club members, Lowe’s, Wal-Mart, Cook’s Nursery, Sutherlands and Dragonfly Nursery. The cart includes a soaker hose, watering hose, indoor/outdoor Myan planter, wild bird feeder, rake, Miracle Grow applicator and plant food, work gloves, garden loppers, garden spade, kneeling cushion, gardening book, insect repellent, tripod sprinkler wind chimes, pruning sheers, sunflower seeds, hummingbird feeder and nectar, watering can, water wand, potting soil, bonnet, a sprayer, and gift certificates to Dragonfly Nursery and Cook’s Nursery. The cart is on display at the Visitor Center, 200 E. Main St. The drawing will be held Saturday, March 20 at the Azalea Plant Sale.
In addition to this year’s plant sale, the Nacogdoches Main Street Program is sponsoring a sidewalk sale downtown from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Businesses will be offering a variety of specialty and unique items for sale.

Posted by: downtownnac | February 19, 2010

Spring is in the air at the Nacogdoches Farmer’s Market!

Join us Saturday at the Nacogdoches Farmer’s Market to stock up on a variety of handcrafted, locally grown items. The Nacogdoches Farmer’s Market is currently open on Saturday & Wednesday mornings and offers fresh produce, unique gifts, and a variety of other delicious items.
Things to look for this Saturday: baked goods (breads, cookies &
pies), artisan Texas cheeses, Texas citrus, freshly ground corn-meal,
organic chicken, free-range eggs, tilapia fish, flowers, jewelry, plants,
starter plants, preserves and local produce (collard, mustard & kale greens;
onions; potatoes; butternut squash & sweet potatoes)

Be sure to mark your calendar for our Spring Fling scheduled for March
March 27th. Featuring children’s activities, live entertainment and much, much more!

If you would like to sign up for the weekly Farmers’ Market email update, please send an email to obriens@ci.nacogdoches.tx.us. You are also more than welcome to visit www.farmermktnac.blogspot.com for the weekly update. Also be our fan on facebook @NacogdochesFarmersMarket.

The Nacogdoches Farmers’ Market, located at the “hitch lot” at the corner of West Main and Pearl Streets, is open from 8 a.m. until noon or later every Saturday morning. If the market parking lot is full, additional parking is available in the Nacogdoches County Courthouse Annex parking lot.

Older Posts »

Categories