To the Editor:
I want to touch on the aversion to hosting events o the Birch Avenue shopping core.
There seems to be a trend in moving events which generate a lot of foot traffic and
tourism away from the main street to non-merchantile areas.
The recent decision to move the car show from the main street seems to follow this
trend. I’d like to support a recent letter to the editor and agree that this is a mistake.
Another recent example would be the StreetFest which was moved to the arena and
back to the downtown core after it was realized that this had been a mistake.
This car show brings a lot of traffic and potential business to our town, it seems wasteful
to push this away from our shopping core to an area where we are unable to take full
advantage of it.
Foot traffic is a great way to promote our businesses as people are more prone to
“window-shopping” and pop in to see what we have to offer.
Some of the best shopping areas are based on a foot-traffic only model. As a downtown
merchant I would prefer to work with, rather than against, any group or event that is
willing to put in many volunteer hours to bring potential clientele to my doorstep. I’d like
to thank the organizers of these events for all their hard work.
I agree with the previous letter and believe that this decision should be re-evaluated.
Frankie Vitorino
Outlaw
Downtown Merchant
