Fighting cabin fever: businesses come together to offer activities

Home Culture Fighting cabin fever: businesses come together to offer activities

The cure for cabin fever is here in Hillsdale. Two local businesses, David’s Dolce Vita and Toasted Mud, are teaming up to create the “Cabin Fever Series,” events that take the foci of different businesses and combine them in activities.

The first event in the series occurred in January, when 26 locals gathered to paint a wine goblet while wine-tasting, along with an offering of cheese and crackers.

“We had such a great response and had so much fun that we decided to do another,” said Yvonne Fedrick, manager of David’s Dolce Vita.

In February, the group got together again, this time painting wine bottles on canvas while wine-tasting.

“The people that like wine get to do something fun, and it brings people into our business,” Fedrick said. “It’s a win-win.”

Fedrick and Janna Macy, owner of Toasted Mud, are both looking forward to continuing the series, though the date hasn’t yet been set for the next event.

“We’re talking about maybe March or April,” Fedrick said. “We haven’t really nailed it down yet.”

According to Macy, the idea of businesses collaborating downtown came up during a conversation between her and Christine Bowman, executive director of the Hillsdale Chamber of Commerce.

“We were brainstorming about what we could do downtown, and it was one of those, ‘You know, it’d be really cool if…’ situations,” Macy said.

Since then, Macy has begun collaborating with other businesses to offer activities downtown. The Cabin Fever Series is the latest of several.

“I’ve also partnered with Broad Street, and we’ve done beer and beer mugs,” Macy said. “I’ve also talked to Smith’s Flowers about doing vases and flower arrangements. I like finding a commonality and sharing in order to expose both of our businesses.”

The idea for the wine-tasting and painting came after some outside inspiration.

“I had seen it at other places, and we saw it over in Hudson,” Fedrick said. “Janna had also mentioned six months ago about possibly doing something.”

After the success of these events, Fedrick and David Kamen, owner of David’s Dolce Vita, are both looking forward to others.

“We might do something with Smith’s Flowers,” Kamen said. “Maybe flower-arranging and wine-tasting for an event.”

Once plans were settled, the name “Cabin Fever Series” was picked to fit the mood of the season.

“The wintertime is the perfect time for this,” Fedrick said. “It gets people out, but not out in the cold.”

Besides bringing businesses together, the event also has other benefits.

“I think it’s good in that it helps keep things local,” Macy said. “And, it sounds so cliche, but it’s just good fun. One lady said, ‘I really enjoyed spending time with my friends and actually doing something, not just going out to dinner and talking.’ Sometimes it’s nice to have a little something to do when you’re talking with people.”

Fedrick agreed.

“We have so much fun,” she said. “One of the gals that attended, the picture she painted was going to be a gift for someone.”

Both businesses are unsure of how the future will play out, but the interest they’ve received has given them reason to consider making it a regular event.

“It depends on the success, but I’d give it a good run before making any long-term decisions,” Macy said. “Yvonne and I might be able to hook up once a month or once every other month for an event. You can’t saturate it. We want to keep it fun and fresh.”

Fedrick said anyone and everyone is welcome to join in, but they do have one preference.

“We’d rather have them be 21 or older,” she said. “If you’re not 21, you can’t participate in the wine-tasting, which is a big part of the event. But everyone is welcome.”

Space is limited to 28 people, and the price is $45. Further information can be found on the Toasted Mud Facebook page.