Step into a storybook: How these small town businesses are taking shoppers on a holiday adventure

At the tender age of 19, Alice de Crom dreamed of being a florist and owning her own shop. So her mom took a huge leap of faith and sold her house to finance Floralista Flower Studio in Fort Langley, British Columbia — and quit her job to work there alongside her daughter. Their story has a fairytale ending: Twelve years later, the de Crom women and Floralista are thriving.

This holiday, they are part of another enchantment come to life, complete with giant sugar cube forts taking over a coffee shop, a life-sized chocolate moose (not to be confused with “mousse”) at the candy store and a towering forest of flowers at — where else? — Floralista. These creations and more are part of an effort by Mastercard to sprinkle a little extra magic throughout Fort Langley and help small businesses make the most of the important shopping season.

“It’s like nothing I’ve ever heard of before,” de Crom says. “We are really excited to be a part of it.”

The vignettes are taken from “Cranberry & Crumm,” a bespoke fairy tale commissioned by Mastercard that tells the story of Cranberry, a newly-minted sprite tasked with bringing joy to a curmudgeonly mail carrier named Mr. Crumm. In Fort Langley’s IRL version, Cranberry attempts to cheer up Mr. Crumm while he walks his daily delivery route through its charming downtown. Each participating shop has been outfitted with fanciful storefront displays and art installations to illustrate the story. Free copies of the storybook are available to shoppers and families so they can follow Cranberry and Mr. Crumm at their own pace. 

As they shop at each participating store, visitors have the chance to collect limited edition 3D puzzle pieces of Fort Langley’s historic district, a small town setting so quintessential it has served as the filming locations for “Once Upon a Time,” “Riverdale” and a host of Christmas movies. Free hot chocolate and other holiday treats await them at various points around town. At the end, shoppers will have enjoyed a fully immersive story adventure and collected a complete set of Fort Langley’s landmark buildings — as well as whatever goodies they purchase along the way.

This storybook experience was commissioned by Mastercard to support communities and the small businesses that power them year-round. Small businesses play a crucial role in strengthening local economies in Canada, contributing more than a third of the country’s private sector GDP in 2020. The “Cranberry & Crumm” shopping experience, which runs through mid-December, is expected to boost foot traffic and sales in Fort Langley. It’s the first of many immersive shopping experiences Mastercard will roll out across North America in 2025 and beyond.

“Small business owners represent the hopes and ambitions of their communities, and we are committed to supporting their growth and prosperity,” says Rustom Dastoor, Mastercard’s head of marketing and communications for the Americas. “We’re making their Main Street the talk of the town — and maybe even the nation — forging connections, propelling growth and making lasting memories.”

That support only starts with the card: Through Mastercard, small businesses can access funding opportunities to help grow their businesses, digital enablement and cybersecurity diagnostics, and tools and technology to create a seamless and secure online experience, with peace of mind paramount for business owners and their customers alike.

For shopkeepers like de Crom, the event is both a way to increase sales during a crucial time for small retailers and gain visibility: “By inviting people on this festive shopping adventure, we will bring them into our stores not only to take photos against a beautiful backdrop, but to actually spend money," she says.

She has extra stock and a few more “ready-to-go” items this year, such as pre-lighted fresh garlands, in anticipation of the expected crowds that will come to experience the life-sized storybook.

“We wanted to make sure we had things at really good price points designed for people who are spontaneously shopping because they are here to participate in the story,” de Crom says. “It’s such a unique and super cool event. It will bring people in now and long into the future, so it’s going to benefit the entire town.”