30 Years of Strolling: After 30 Years, D & J Coins and Leathercraft Still Loves Being a Stroll Participant
According to Sheridan County Chamber of Commerce records, there are only 10 businesses that have participated in Christmas Stroll over the last 30 years. And many of those businesses have seen employee turnover and change in ownership over those intervening decades.
That’s not the case for D & J Coins and Leathercraft owner Dan Norris, who has personally participated in all 30 Strolls. Norris has been participating long enough to remember when Stroll was an evening-only event and can even recall the very first Christmas Stroll button design.
And if Norris has his way, D & J will keep participating for another 30 years too.
“We will participate every year,” Norris said. “It’s a wonderful event.”
Below, Norris shares his thoughts on why he continues to participate in Stroll year after year.
Why has your business been a longtime supporter of Christmas Stroll?
It gets lots of people downtown and in the store- throughout the day and especially in the evenings. We get lots of people that haven’t been in before.
Do you have a favorite Christmas Stroll theme?
I don’t really have a favorite theme, but I do have a favorite button – the first button in 1996 with the old-time Santa Claus on it.
How has participating in Christmas Stroll benefitted your business?
It brings in people to the store who haven’t been in before. There are people who maybe have a collection to sell, or are interested in buying gold and silver, but maybe didn’t know we were here or just hadn’t made it in until Stroll night. So this gives us an opportunity to make that first contact, which hopefully becomes a longtime customer relationship.
