Staff photo by Clay Schuldt From left, Mary Ann Holm, Jenny Pierson, Stacey Lokensgard, Linda Stadtcherr and Tanya Hillesheim head into Bailey Creek Boutique as the next stop on the Modenschau Fashion Show. The ladies participated in the event two years ago and were happy to come back for more.

NEW ULM — The Modenschau fashion show returned to downtown New Ulm Wednesday.

The New Ulm Small Business Owners Group teamed up with downtown businesses and bars for a fashion-themed evening with special cocktails along the way.

The event is best described as a boutique and pub crawl. Participants started the evening at A to Zinnia to check in and receive tickets. Everyone with a ticket received an event bag filled with drink tickets for participating bars and a map of participating businesses.

Each bar featured a unique drink and each business featured a unique sales deal. The Modenschau ticket itself contained additional coupons at certain businesses. A to Zinnia owner Heather Hacker Hammer said the savings on the coupons more than made up for the cost of the ticket.

This is the second time the Modenschau fashion show was held as a boutique and pub crawl. In 2019, a similar fashion event was held. Hammer said the biggest change is there was no last stop of the night. Participants are free to visit each location as they see fit and follow their own timelines.

This year’s participating businesses included A to Zinnia, Bumbelou, Bailey Creek, Gallery 512, MN Eis and Sweethaven Tonics.

Participants got a pumpkin pie, White Russian, at B&L; Strawberry Cream Cocktail “Pink Ribbon Drink” at Lamplighter; Old Fashioned at Mona Lena; Sweethaven Tonic Boba Tea at MN Eis; a Washington Apple at The Sozial and a Moscato Lemonade at Rodney’s Tavern.

Sweethaven Tonics is a new business operating out of the New Ulm Event Center owned by Leah Treleven. Sweethaven Tonic has a line of tonics inspired by classic cocktails, using fruits, herbs and high-quality spices. The tonics can be simply mixed with a favorite spirit or soda water for a fun cocktail or gourmet soda.

“If you only have a whiskey and coke skill set, this is perfect for you,” Treleven said.

All the local boutiques saw an uptick in business before the Modenschau began. Bailey Creek Boutique owner Sandy Reinke said business was good before the event started, but the real rush came after 5 p.m.

Many of the participants stopped at the bars first. Rodney’s Tavern had 20 customers come in for their specialty drink–a Moscato Lemonade–within the first hour of the Modenschau.

This event is planned by the New Ulm Small Business Owners Group and a portion of the proceeds from this event will go towards the Downtown Holiday Decoration Fund.