Oil & Vinegar owner Angela McMasters and Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber of Commerce leaders man the register during the Ca$hmob vendor event Dec. 14, when all products sold at half price for two hours. From left to right: Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber board chair Lisa Hunt, small business owner Angela McMasters, Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber director of events and programs Carrie Nolan-Robson. The remainder of the people in the photo, all the to the right, are shoppers. Submitted photo

An initiative organized by the Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber late last year brought good fortune to area businesses as 2022 came to a close.

The initiative, called Ca$hmob, resulted in the busiest two hours that Oil & Vinegar owner Angela McMasters said she had ever had at her store, located at 522 Northpointe Circle, Seven Fields, on Dec. 13.

During a two-hour span, purchases amounted to more than $3,500, McMasters said. During that time, a sponsor would pay a portion of the cost of all purchases at select vendor tents throughout the Holiday Christmas Market event.

The sponsor, Comcast Business, covered $1,450, according to McMasters. The half-priced discounts attracted energetic purchases from shoppers, who poured into the store.

“That’s more than I would have done the entire day,” McMasters said. “So it was just a great event for us and really boosted our spirits, too.”

McMasters said she never left her register, adding that not many staff members were around to man the store. Her husband, aunt and a good friend from the chamber turned out to help her that day.