Moberly to host gift and décor open house

A total of 14 Moberly antique, craft, floral, gift and home décor stores have banded together to host their second annual Spring Open House April 16-17.

“With such a long winter behind us, I think people are ready for an event like this,” said Dale Sosniecki, co-owner of two participating shops, Coach Light Hallmark Gold Crown and Coach Light’s American Country. “But just to play it safe with Old Man Winter, we went with a mid-april weekend.”

The magnitude of a combined, city-wide Open House goes well beyond county lines.

“When you put 14 stores together – with compatible merchandising themes and promoting on the identical weekend – you’ve got the attention of shoppers throughout northern and central Missouri,” said Sosniecki.

Eleven participants of the weekend event call downtown Moberly “home”. Six conveniently are located close together on the 500 block of West Reed Street: the Moberly Antique Mall; Lynn’s Country Florals and Gifts; The Bouquet Shop; Coach Light’s American Country; and Patches and Thread. In lieu of a store-wide open house, the Coach Light Hallmark Gold Crown Store is hosting its first-ever spring inside/outside clearance sale of selected decorative accessories.

The Spring Open House continues westward with The Odd Pear, at 418 W. Reed, noted for their enticing front-window merchandising. Venturing down to the 200 block of W. Reed will be rewarded with the open house offerings of Bogard’s Antiques and Collectables and The Crafter’s Choice.

Two new downtown stores are using the second annual open house as a means of introducing themselves to the community and central Missouri region. On North Fourth Street, Your Best Friend’s Variety Store is celebrating its Grand Opening on the 16^th and 17^th. Fabulous Scraps scrapbooking, in one of the main floor suites at 212 N. Fifth, has expanded its traditional Friday hours to participate in this two-day event.

“One’s got to keep in mind that this open house is a city-wide event,” said Sosniecki.

Visitors coming in from the north can get started by visiting the Down Home store on East Highway 24. Further south on East Urbandale Drive, the Central Christian College of the Bible Bookstore reinforces the fact that it’s a community-wide book and gift source.

From there you’re invited to explore the Route A Country Store, located at 917 Highway A (Take Morley south to Rt. A, then cross the tracks westward and go six-tenths of a mile to their store.)