Jodi’s Journal: Time to step up — and step out — for downtown
Dec. 3, 2023
Do me a favor: Think about the atmosphere in downtown Sioux Falls the last time you had a great night out there.
Are you picturing walking around outdoors?
Maybe listening to live music?
Enjoying some food or beverages as activity on the sidewalk passes by?
That’s generally what I picture. This past First Friday, I thought about it, walking several blocks of Phillips Avenue en route to check out the newly enhanced plaza in front of this parking ramp mural.
If you haven’t stopped by yet — and watched those taking a spin on the new ice bumper cars — try to make time to do so. You can get the details on times, themes, etc., here.
To be candid, there wasn’t a very big crowd when I stopped by Friday night. I checked in Saturday afternoon, and it was about the same.
Same with Saturday night, at least when we stopped by.
There are two weekends left, and so far the forecast continues to look nothing but favorable for a December outing, so please consider spending a few hours downtown.
We need to reach a point as a community that we create at least a similar sort of street-level vibe in the colder months as we do during the summer when people are out everywhere and you can feel the energy throughout downtown.
I think businesses were fairly busy, but I didn’t see very many people walking around to extend their downtown time on Friday night, despite the fact it really wasn’t that cold. I saw some businesses that probably should have stayed open later, at least for First Friday, that were not open. I didn’t see very many special draws from businesses to encourage shoppers to stop in, though it’s possible I missed them.
This has to be a collective effort. A number of partners stepped up to create fun, engaging public spaces. We have to step out of the house and experience them. Businesses also need to do their part to offer the sort of experience that will convince increasingly careful consumers to support them.
My go-to example of this is our annual 605 Made Holiday Market, which this weekend once again drew thousands of visitors to a pop-up shop in a parking garage as they purchased work from 50 local makers.
These shoppers stepped up. They found the parking they needed. They were patient waiting in line. And they went home and said positive things about their experience. Our sales were up considerably over last year.
On behalf of ourselves, our co-organizers at Knotty Gnome Variety & Salvage, and the dozens of artists you supported, thank you for helping create all-important holiday business.
I’m also aware that one day doing our part to support local commerce isn’t enough, especially at a time when many small businesses are doing their best to battle rising costs and cautious customers.
So, this week, we’re going to do more.
In the Downtown Sioux Falls Inc. online shopping directory, there are about 40 businesses listed.
I numbered them and will randomly generate a number online each morning. Starting at lunch Monday, Dec. 4, we’ll go live through our Facebook page, and you’ll be able to virtually browse with me and check out what the business has to offer.
I’ll pick out something I like, buy it and give it to one of our viewers. To be considered for the win, all you’ll need to do is comment with the name — or ideally a photo — of a gift idea you discovered at a local business and name the business. I’ll use the same random number generator to pick the winner by the end of each day.
If any business sponsor wants to add to my shopping/gifting budget, let me know at [email protected].
And if you want to receive a text alert for when and where we are live, adopt one of our free news “pigeons” here.
If you win one of our shopping days and you’re a pigeon owner, I’ll add a bonus gift card for you.
We will hold our Shop Local at Lunch series Dec. 4-8. So log on, watch, and maybe win. But more importantly, consider stepping up — and stepping out — for small businesses downtown and citywide.
