Valley Junction stores gear up for holiday shoppers

Stores in Historic Valley Junction are gearing up for holiday shopping! Many stores have extended holiday shopping hours, and the district will celebrate its annual Jingle in the Junction events as well as Small Business Saturday.

Historic Valley Junction will kick-off the holiday season on Nov. 21 with MINGLE & JINGLE in the Junction. Stop by to meet Valley Junction merchants and pick up your holiday shopping passport. Mingle and Jingle in the Junction will include holiday dance performances, Santa, horse-drawn trolley rides, balloons and MORE!

LIGHT Valley Junction, sponsored by the City of West Des Moines, Polk County Board of Supervisors, Prairie Meadows, the Historic Valley Junction Foundation and KCL Engineering, will be unveil Phase 1 of this transformative project to the public on Nov. 21 from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Initiating in Railroad Park, the inaugural year of LIGHT Valley Junction will showcase an inspiring combination of color-changing lights, providing a truly inspiring experience with many unique effects. With LED technology the system is economical, energy-efficient, and capable of sophisticated programming to create spectacular shows. Subsequent phases of LIGHT Valley Junction will create a multitude of interactive, comprehensive, district-wide lighting installations to be enjoyed throughout the business district year-long.

The Historic Valley Junction district will also celebrate Small Business Saturday on November 30th. Small Business Saturday started in 2010 as a counterpart to Black Friday and Cyber Monday as a way to encourage shoppers to patronize local businesses. During this special shopping day, the first 500 shoppers to stop at Historic City Hall, 137 Fifth St., will receive a Small Business Saturday reusable bag filled with store coupons and other treasures. Small businesses donate 250 percent more than larger businesses to non-profits and community causes (Source: Seattle Good Business Network). If you spend $100 at a local business, roughly $68 stays in your local economy. If you spend the same at a large business, only $43 stays in the local economy (Source: Civic Economics Study in Grand Rapids, Michigan).

Sponsored by Veridian Credit Union, Historic Valley Junction will hold its annual Jingle in the Junction events on Thursday, December 5th, 12th and 19th. The businesses in Historic Valley Junction and the streets will be lined with thousands of twinkling lights. In addition, the Jingle in the Junction celebrations will include FREE horse-drawn trolley rides, merchant events and specials, caroling provided by local groups, ice sculpture carvings and more! Santa will be visiting Historic Valley Junction for Mingle and Jingle in the Junction and each Jingle in the Junction listening to wishes.

Rumor has it that Santa will, also, be visiting Historic Valley Junction many Saturday afternoons after Thanksgiving through December 21st, passing out prizes to children, Veridian stress balls to parents and candy canes to all. Support local and create memories by making Historic Valley Junction a part of your annual holiday traditions.

With over 160 independent businesses, Historic Valley Junction is the largest business district in Central Iowa. The importance of buying and supporting local cannot be understated. Good local goes away if it is not supported. Business owners are your neighbors, school parents, faith members and community members who create jobs in our community. Please consider shopping local this holiday season.

Historic Valley Junction is six blocks of specialty shops that include art galleries, antique shops, fashion boutiques, salons, service businesses and restaurants. For more information on Valley Junction or event details, visit www.valleyjunction.com.