CITY OF LOCKPORT, N.Y. (WKBW) — Imagine seeing a few hundred people walking through the streets of your community, all looking for one thing: a golden ticket.
It sounds like something out of a movie, well, it literally is. But it's actually happening twice a month in the City of Lockport.
"People are going crazy! I mean, who doesn't love a scavenger hunt and winning some stuff," said Justin Nantka, Lockport's very own Willy Wonka.
He opened I-Thrift, a thrift store on S. Transit Road, in November of last year and prides himself on keeping things affordable.
"Growing up, we didn't have a lot of money, ya know and thrift stores were our way to go," said Nantka.
So he does 50% off deals, like half off furniture for Take it Home Tuesdays.
And twice a month, they take it to the next level and just give things away.
"We wanted to get the community excited about something and bring the community together," said Nantka.
He posts videos like the one above on social media after he hides the tickets in random places around the city. And he doesn't make it easy.
"It took over an hour to find it, but it was so, so worth it," said Ashley Perkins who won the $500 prize last month.
And while the prizes are cool, people really enjoyed getting out to do something together.
"I've lived here my entire life and this city is known for being boring, in a way," said Bradley Weaver. "So it was pretty neat to have this event and for everybody to get out and meet new people."
And don't forget, they do this twice a month. And they're going big for the holidays. The next set of tickets will go out on Saturday, December 14th, with prizes totaling more than $1,000.
Looking for clues? Stay tuned to the I-Thrift Facebook page, by clicking here.
