Courtesy Photo The above products are available at Soaps and Such in downtown Alpena. Soaps and Such is one of the merchants participating in Thursday’s Snowed In virtual shopping event on Facebook.

ALPENA — The Alpena Downtown Development Authority is collaborating with six downtown merchants to host Snowed In: A Downtown Facebook Live Shopping Event from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Participating merchants include: Soaps and Such, Boudoir by Michele Zee Photography, Olivet Book & Gift, Traveling Ladders, Parallel 45 Books & Gifts and Myers’ Fashions Etc.

Downtown Merchants will go live on their own Facebook pages for 15 minutes at their designated time in the schedule below.

Merchants may showcase products for sale, give a tour of their space, and/or tell a little of their story. Customers can watch it all and shop from the comfort and warmth of their own homes.

The official schedule of Facebook Live events is as follows:

5 p.m. — Soaps and Such

5:15 p.m. — Boudoir by Michele Zee

5:30 p.m. — Olivet Book & Gift

5:45 p.m. — Traveling Ladders

6 p.m. — Parallel 45 Books

6:15 p.m. — Myers’ Fashions Etc.

“Organizing these events in the last year has been fun. It’s a great way for our merchants to connect with their customers and communities both local and across the country. These Facebook Live events connect customers to their favorite businesses in a new way that allows them to put a face to the business, see that human side of things and learn more about the different businesses and shopping opportunities in our growing downtown,” said DDA Marketing and Outreach Coordinator Kingsli Kraft.

In spring 2020, the Alpena DDA hosted their first Facebook Live shopping event to connect customers with some of their favorite downtown business owners while shops were closed to the public — and both customers and business owners enjoyed it so much, the DDA has continued to organize these events even as shops reopened. This is the fourth Virtual Shopping Event that the DDA has hosted since last spring.

You can find more information about the event on Downtown Alpena’s Facebook Page.

To reach the DDA, email downtownalpenami@gmail.com, call 989-356-6422, or walk in during business hours at 124 E. Chisholm St. in downtown Alpena.