Flutes of champagne in hand, women assembled at the GLAMbar for the second annual Girls Night Out, touted below in a banner over Broad Street. (Photo above by Rebecca Desfosse. Click to enlarge)
By REBECCA DESFOSSE
As night fell on a perfectly crisp autumn day, ladies kicked up their heels and headed to downtown Red Bank for RiverCenterÂ’s second, semiannual Girls Night Out Thursday.
As they stopped by theGLAMbar, one of the three check-in points, they were treated to champagne, reusable shopping bags full of gifts and discounts to local businesses, restaurants and bars, along with an entry to win a $100 Red Bank gift card and other prizes.
“WeÂ’re always so busy,” said Margaret Mass, director of the Red Bank Visitors Center, alluding to the women gathered nearby. “This is a chance to relax and have some fun.”
After checking in, women perused the streets and shopped at their leisure, a handy GNO map of the more than 70 participating businesses in their hands. Bands and musical artists peppered the streets along with purple balloons in front of almost every door, indicating the businessÂ’s participation in the event.
At theGLAMbar, Mass told redbankgreen that there was “such a great vibe from last GNO,” that she expected this one to be bigger and better. More than 300 women had preregistered, she said.
According to Mass, RiverCenter sponsors GNO to bring people through the town, giving them a sense of new stores and the chance to revisit some of their favorites.
Fran Waldman, a RiverCenter volunteer working the Galleria at Red Bank check-in on Bridge Avenue, said she was seeing a good turnout. It was only an hour and a half into the evening and already the 250 goodie bags that had been assembled were gone. She said GNO brings people into the town and gets them shopping which helps the economy – all in a fun environment.
Melting Pot assistant manager Tifany Patterson said she hoped that GNO would bring in more diners. “It’s been a slow week,” she said, “Any business is good business.” The restaurant offered discounts to GNO attendees and a gift card as a prize.
Marjorie Cunningham, one of the girls on the town, said she enjoyed the atmosphere and was particularly excited about the deals and discounts the local businesses were offering.
Another edition of this bi-annual event is being organized for the spring.
