Sixty-one various businesses and organizations in Downtown Salisbury played host to the 10th annual Wine about Winter event on Friday.

Some business owners relished catching up with regulars in a less formal setting, while others noted out-of-towners meeting in the middle for a fun evening.

“It definitely exceeded expectations,” said Mariah Bosworth, owner of Soulfull Nutrition. “I was on top of the moon when I left. It was everything that I dreamed it would be.”

Each stop along the way featured a different type of wine or fermented beverage. Soulfull Nutrition had a honey mead for sampling that proved popular.

“I had three people, including myself, helping out, and I don’t think I could have done it without them,” Bosworth said.

At the beginning of the night, each participant received 20 tokens. Each token was worth a single one-ounce pour of the store’s offering. At the end of the night, Bosworth’s group had collected 580 tokens.

“We had the music going, and people were relaxing,” Bosworth said. “So, they came back for seconds and thirds.”

Soulfull Nutrition specializes in meal-replacement shakes and metabolism-boosting teas.

“(Wine about Winter) helped us a lot because we were able to put out our sangria flavored teas, tequila sunrise teas, and we were able to sell more than 100 samples,” Bosworth said.

Just up the road, employees at Stitchin’ Post Gifts saw a steady flow of participants.

“People were quite jovial,” said Gina Pinyan, an employee at the store. “They seemed to enjoy the experience and would comment about store to store they had been to.”

With people meandering in and out of each store, Pinyan expressed optimism about what it means for businesses around town.

“I think it was very good for downtown Salisbury,” Pinyan said. “We were not the only ones benefiting, with so many stores participating.”

Much like at Soulfull Nutrition and other stops along the way, Pinyan indicated that people seemed to be enjoying themselves.

“It was a lively group,” Pinyan said. “You would hear occasional outbursts of laughter from different places or friends who were seeing each other. Since COVID, everybody treasures those opportunities to see each other. You could tell when a group of friends had spotted each other.”

Pinyan did notice something that stood out to her this year compared to previous versions of the event.

“Traditionally, when I worked it before, it had been like a gals’ night out,” Pinyan said. “This time, I kept seeing more and more men.”

Oxford+Lee owner Kaylee Eagle remarked how she was impressed with the turnout this year.

“Last year, it was not that many people, but this time there were so many people out,” Eagle said.

The clothing store owner said she saw many of her regulars come in and that she enjoyed chatting with them, but she also observed people she did not know who were meeting in Salisbury for a fun weekend.

“I knew some people came here for a girls’ weekend,” Eagle said. “One of them was from Charlotte, and the other was from somewhere else.”

The event is proving to be a big draw. One woman from Albemarle indicated that Wine About Winter was not a fixture on her calendar.

“I have tried to come every year once I discovered it,” Dana McDow said. “It has grown every year.”

The unique blend of wine pairings with the shopping experience appeals to McDow’s idea of a good time and encourages her to patronize those establishments later.

“I like the opportunity to go into shops that I have not been into before,” McDow said. “I always buy something, and it makes me come back in. I may not buy something tonight, but I will be back.”