It is only one day, but it could change a lot for one local business.
A phenomenon called Cash Mobs is coming to the Eau Claire area. According to the Eau Claire Cash Mob website, the very first mob will take place this Saturday at Infinitea Teahouse in the downtown area located on 112 East Grand Ave. The group is led by Anthony Nied.
“It’s a national movement that started in Buffalo, New York,” Nied said. “It is a socially networked-based organization of people that come together and show their support of local businesses, by spending $20 at a business that gets suggested or voted for.”
The Eau Claire Cash Mob is new within this area. Nied said that he started piecing everything together this past Sunday.
“Eau Claire is that kind of community where people come together and think about something bigger than themselves,” Nied said. “It is a great cause that can really make
a difference.”
According to the Eau Claire Cash Mob website, there are 12 rules that each Cash Mob should try to uphold. Some of those rules are: the business must be locally owned, the mob must be announced a week in advance on Twitter and the business owner must approve of the Cash Mob before it is announced or can take place.
The people involved in the mob will meet before the event to talk more about what will be expected.
“People need to realize that we are overwhelming the staff and businesses,” Neid said. “There are only going to be several employees here, so people will need to be patient.”
Infinitea owner Jeff Mares said he is excited at the attention the cash mob will bring.
“It is an awesome opportunity,” Mares said. “Any business kills to get new customers in your door. That is the epic struggle of a business.”
However, Mares is worried about the prospect of so many customer at once.
“It is something concerning because what I do takes time.,” he said. “I can’t serve 30 people a cup of tea quickly because each tea could take five minutes.”
Mares said he believes this experience will ultimately be gratifying .
“As business owners it will be very rewarding to see the outpouring of support because, honestly, sometimes it gets lost,” Mares said.
Nied said that Right Way Shuttle will be providing round trip rides to Infinitea Saturday at 3:40 p.m. from Towers Hall, and at 3:50 p.m. from Burrachos parking lot located on
Water Street.
