Some Occoquan Merchants Extending Evening Hours

Some Occoquan businesses on the west end of Mill Street are extending their Saturday evening hours to 8 p.m. for the month of August, in an attempt to invite more of an evening crowd to Occoquan.

Polka Dot Divas co-owner Julie Marshall thinks the store will see an uptick in traffic.

"It wasn't the most beautiful night last night anyway with the weather. We were pleasantly surprised at the number of people walking around," Marshall said. "We definitely got a decent amount of foot traffic." 

If business continues to go well on Saturday nights, the Polka Dot Divas might continue staying open later through September. 

"We'll just keep playing it by ear," she said. 

Playing it by ear is part of the Marshall's and co-owner Kristyn Gleason's philosophy. The store's regular hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., "but if there are people down here, we stay," Marshall said. "If the town is definitely busy, we'll stay here until midnight." 

At Hawthorne House, Diane and Fred Boli say they plan to stick with staying open later on Thursday nights, just like they have for fifteen years. 

"People are in their workday week pattern," Diane said. "Saturday, that's more of a day off."

"We don't compete with the bars on Friday and Saturday night," Fred added. 

Shoppers at the fine paper store tend to stop by on Thursday night to look at wedding invitations, or to pick up an order. Several other Occoquan businesses also stay open late on Thursdays.

"Wherever we've lived, in Europe or any place else, usually Thursday is the late night for department stores and everything," Diane said. "It's just been our night to be open. Our customers know we're here." 

Margie Blanton's MJ's Ice Cream-N-More has been staying open later in the evenings for awhile now. 

"I'm here till 9 p.m. Sometimes I'm here on weekends till 10 p.m.," Blanton said. The later hours are more of a summer thing for her business, and when the time changes and it starts getting darker, she'll close earlier.

Puzzle Palooza is also staying open till 8 p.m. on Saturdays. 

"All of us down here, we were like, you know what? Let's all support each other and stay open and if the other merchants in town participate, the more, the merrier," co-owner Donna Carleton said. "People that have never been here are surprised that the stores are not open. People that have been here, they know, and they're like, 'Don't go to Occoquan after 5 o'clock. They roll up the carpets.'"