Holiday scavenger hunt promotes Durant merchants - KTEN.com - Texoma news, weather and sports

DURANT, Okla. -- Durant is using the Christmas season "Elf on the Shelf" to give a boost to small business.

Durant Main Street is sponsoring a scavenger hunt to find 15 elves hidden around the downtown district.  The elves are hidden in small businesses.

"Some of them are off the beaten path; they might not be right on Main Street. They might be on a side street," explained Durant Main Street director Stephanie Gardner. "We thought this is a great way to get people kind of exploring downtown and seeing what we have to offer, and getting them into those storefronts to see what they have to offer as well."

Here's how it works: Track down all 15 elves,  take a selfie with each one, and share those photos on Facebook or Instagram using the hashtags #MyDurant and #ElvesLikeToGetDowntown.

Then head over to the Durant Main Street office at 110 North 2nd Avenue to collect a free Durant Christmas ornament.

Country Framer owner Make Ralls said the scavenger hunt campaign is working.

"People are seeing our store for the first time in over eight years," he said. "People are saying, 'I didn't know this store existed,'  and we're about half a block off of Main Street, so it makes a big difference."

The promotion continues through December 23.