It's really true how nothin' matters,

No mad, mad world and no mad hatters,

No one's pitchin' cause there ain't no batters in Coconut Grove.

-- Coconut Grove,

The Lovin' Spoonful (1966)

Coconut Grove once grooved to the laid-back melodies of musicians the likes of David Crosby, Joni Mitchell and Jimmy Buffett.

All started what turned out to be high-octane careers in the 1960s with performances at Coconut Grove clubs.

The Lovin' Spoonful even immortalized the bohemian Miami neighborhood in the group's 1966 song, Coconut Grove, but the next line in that tune's lyric -- Don't bother door / There's no one comin' -- had an ominous tone.

So, as the region's 163 merchants struggle in today's sour economy to remind consumers that, ``Hey, we're here, come through our doors,'' the Grove once again hopes to reestablish itself.

And the Grove took cues from the mad hatters line of the very old pop song as it staged an event to help jump start the local economy.

Last weekend, the Grove Merchants Group produced its fifth annual Mad Hatter Festival at the Shoppes at Mayfair.

As in previous events, it took its name and theme from the Coconut Grove song, said David Collins, the executive director of the Coconut Grove Business Improvement District.

The idea was to use art, music, kids' activities such as face painting and petting zoos, along with the Mad Hatter Tea Party, to showcase the shops along Grand Avenue and around the Mayfair area.

And thousands of potential customers did come.

``We're trying to keep the businesses going in this rough time, especially [given] how poorly Florida is doing in all economic indicator levels,'' Collins said.

``We're living at the vortex of that tornado.

``The retailers and restaurants, these are the real warriors,'' he added. ``These people are hanging on.''

Last weekend's Mad Hatter festival included the distribution of ``free money'' coupons to patrons who wore funny, funky hats.

The Grove Merchant Group donated about $2,000 worth of these ``Grove Bucks'' to patrons who have until Dec. 24 to redeem the $2 coupons at participating merchants.

The Merchant Group chipped in about $15,000 to stage the event, with costs going toward security, sanitation, advertising and running the festival.

The event drew 70 showcasing artists, double the expected amount, said Felice Dubin, the Merchants Group co-chair. Not surprisingly, artworks priced under $100 did better than the pricier items which topped out at $2,000.

The point, Dubin said, is that as merchants struggle for survival and unemployment continues to rise, ``we are trying to bring events back into the Grove so people know how `Grovey' the Grove is.''

To that end, about 11,000 visitors descended on the area, a 50 percent increase from last year.

Dubin, who also owns The Bookstore in the Grove, said she is ``thrilled'' and optimistic for the Mad Hatter event next year.

``A lot of people still don't know we're around. This opens eyes and invites them back into the Grove,'' she said.

And, if $2 coupons aren't incentive enough, merchant groups in the Grove continue to tap into the region's reputation for the quirky and curious to come up with new lures.

For instance, Snow Days begins Dec. 5 and will feature snow on the streets for kids to play in. Santa Claus, or his best doppelgänger, pulls onto the corner of Grand and Virginia avenues at noon that day to spread holiday cheer. There will be a toy drive, too.

The Great Grove Bed Race returned to the area in September and drew 15,000 visitors for what the Merchant Group reports was a $100,000 economic impact to the Grove.

It's all a part of the organization's $1.8 million budget to market the region as a destination. Organizer say if it takes wearing funky hats, pushing beds down streets and evoking memories of the long gone Lovin' Spoonful, then so be it.

``We're trying to keep that flickering candle going here,'' Collins said.

``These Grove events drive the Grove and bring people here. You have to have something new for the locals to come back for . . . ''

``It's more inspiring when the community comes together.'' he added.

``That's the real excitement. We're not waiting for people to come in the door. The Grove is setting the stage.''