As thousands of people flow into Santa Maria this weekend for the annual Elks Rodeo and Parade, some local eateries and clothing stores say they are eager for the influx of foot traffic at their establishments.
“Other than Christmas, this is going to be our busiest time of the year and we love it. We are fully staffed, fully stocked, we are ready and our doors are open,” said Diana Rios, Carr’s Boots and Western Wear store manager.
She says Thursday morning, her store off Broadway and Battles Road was already seeing an increase in customers coming by to check out their variety of rodeo apparel.
“We help dress all the rodeo queen candidates,” Rios added. “We also carry all the apparel that you need for the Elks. So we carry your boots, your jackets, your hats. You name it, we got it.”
Meanwhile, at the Santa Maria Town Center, Gina Martin of Gina’s Piece of Cake says she expects to see the biggest boost in customers from the Saturday parade.
“The parade just goes right out in front of the mall, so we do get a lot of people coming in for coffee and pastries and cookies prior to. Maybe hot chocolate for the kids,” Martin told KSBY.
She says that after operating at the Town Center for the past 19 years, last month, her bakery opened a second location off Clark Avenue in Orcutt — just in time for the rodeo crowds to bring a surge to local businesses.
“It is super cool to have people come from out of town and ask us, 'Are you guys in Bakersfield?' Or, 'Hey, do you have a shop in Fresno?' It is kind of cool because we are just a mom-and-pop shop. It is cool that some people think that we are a bigger franchise,” Martin added.
If you are still looking for the perfect cowboy hat to wear to the rodeo this weekend, Rios says it is not too late for you to stop by Carr’s for their special event discounts and opportunities for free rodeo admission.
“We have been here for 50 years. It is nice to welcome everybody back. Even if we only see them once a year because they don’t live here, it is nice to know that they stop to see us,” Rios said.
Free rodeo tickets will be given out for every purchase of Wrangler jeans at Carr’s.
