The talk amongst Port Douglas retailers and shoppers has been positive after the inaugural Shop Small VIP Shopping Night held in Port Douglas last night.

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President of the Douglas Chamber of Commerce Helen de Ross and manager of Bendigo Bank said the event was a big success.

“For the inaugural event there was a lot of people in town with a great vibe.  There was a good mixture of businesses.  There were some businesses that were quieter than others, however it would be worth doing it again next year,” she said.

Jess Houlahan the manager of  Lorna Jane said the event was well received and would certainly participate next year.

“It was excellent, we loved being part of the event and w were busy the whole time from 5:00pm to 9:00pm.  There was such a good buzz in the store.

“We would welcome another event closer to Christmas.  We overheard customers saying they would love another event to be held the Monday before Christmas,” said Ms Houlahan.

Natalie McKeown second in charge at Sea Folly said it was a great event for Port Douglas.

“It really good for Port Douglas to shop local and overall it was a great event. Sea Folly would definitely love to be participate in the event next heart.

“If there could be any improvement it would only be the advertising as we had feedback that heaps of people from Mossman were not aware of it,” said Ms McKeown.

Alison Kleyngeld from With Sugar said the event was fantastic.

“There was a real buzz amongst local ladies leading up to the night and it continued throughout the evening.  We had a lot of customers ticking off their Christmas lists and making a night of it with cocktails and dinner.

“After a very busy season for all, it was great to see faces we hand’t seen for a long time due to work commitments.  I think everyone enjoyed catching up.

“It did seem to be well organised, particularly for the first year.  I’m sure next year will be even better.  I know we certainly will make improvements,  now we know what to expect.  I’ve no doubt local businesses will be very keen to be involved again,” sad Ms Kleyngeld.

It was reported that some of the shops had customers visiting their store that had not been back for some time.  The social media response has also been very positive and supportive.

The question as to whether the VIP Shopping Event will be held at other times throughout the year, in particular closer to Christmas, has been posed to the Douglas Chamber of Commerce President Helen de Ross who said the possibility would have to be looked into further.

“We will have to see how we go.  It takes a lot of organising for it to be successful,” said Ms de Ross.