Staff photo
Shoppers came to English Village for the holiday open house on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017 to enjoy food and drinks, sales at local businesses and a "poker run" with prizes.
With Halloween in the past and the rest of the holiday season looming brightly in the future, the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce and each of the four villages within the city have designated dates for the annual open houses.
The open houses begin mid-November in Crestline Village, chamber project manager Molly Wallace said, and carry through the first weekend in December, ending with Cahaba Village.
► Nov. 15: Crestline Village
► Nov. 28: English Village
► Nov. 29: Mountain Brook Village
► Dec. 4: Cahaba Village
All open houses will run from 5 to 8 p.m.
The idea of the open houses is to encourage community members to come out and support local businesses during the holiday shopping season and to bring new shoppers into stores they may not typically visit. Some storefronts will offer snacks and beverages, such as cheese and wine, or have trunk shows, sales and special promotions for shoppers.
In past years, a high percentage of merchants in each village have participated in their respective open houses. English Village will be including their Poker Run again, during which shoppers can draw cards at participating stores to try to build the best poker hand by the end of the night. The best hand is given a prize at the end.
For more information about the open houses, see mtnbrookchamber.org.
