A summer boost for commerce
Shoppers flock to Woodstock Village on Friday for the annual Sidewalk Sale Days. The sale resumes Saturday. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
Outdoor seating filled and shoppers going from store to store — that’s what you want in your downtown. And that’s what Woodstock Village had when the annual Sidewalk Sale Days got rolling on Friday. The event continues on Saturday.
The village had vibrant traffic throughout Friday, certainly more so than in some recent weeks following the reopening of different sectors including retail. Lodging capacity is limited to 50 percent, but the Woodstock Inn reopened on Wednesday — likely adding to that influx of visitors strolling the sidewalks.
Indeed, except for the wearing of masks and the capacity limits in shops, Friday would have seemed like a fairly normal July 3, with lots of local commerce leading into the big holiday weekend. Kimbel Biele and her husband, Jon, the new owners of Elevation Clothing, chose Friday to open their doors, setting up their sidewalk-sale location outside. That choice worked out nicely.
“It’s a great day already,” Kimbel Biele said just before 1 p.m., noting a mix of visitors and local shoppers. She saw a number of families come through in the morning, many enjoying the in-person commerce experience. “People are definitely excited to be out and seeing other people.”
Across the street at the Yankee Bookshop, small lines formed several times as people waited their turn to go in because of the store’s capacity limit of 10 people, including the 2 staff inside. The shop took part in the sidewalk sale as well.
“We’ve been busy, I think it’s more people than we anticipated,” said co-owner Kristian Preylowski.
If you’ve been concerned lately about the pace of business, about seeing less traffic than you’re used to in June, being in Woodstock on Friday afternoon was a nice dose of encouragement. It felt like a busy downtown should feel going into a major summer weekend: families strolling through town, people smiling as they go to the next shop, music outside, and plenty of traffic on the road.
Though it still may not match a comparable weekend last year business-wise, it gave the infusion of commerce, joy and momentum any downtown needs these days. Based on the many inquiries to lodging establishments in recent weeks, there is a strong interest in summer travel. It seems people are acting on that interest, and local shops are starting to benefit from it. These are good signs for the local and regional economy.
Friday was the biggest local example yet, of a return to normal summer activity. And it felt good. There was happiness and togetherness in the air. It was palpable, and that’s the kind of momentum we need today. I expect we can look forward to more of that positive energy as reopening continues. As today showed, we still have it in us.
— Gareth Henderson
