Chapter 12. When It Rains, It Pours, and Sometimes All You Can Do Is Dance in the Rain #2
“I’m not surprised,” Quinn piped up. “I like it here, and the vibes are immaculate, but when I signed my lease, the real estate agent said it had been vacant for over a year.”
“That’s because the foot traffic to this area is minimal,” Melly said. “The huge parking lot separating us from the main Plaza building is a big drawback. Most people couldn’t be bothered to walk all the way across to get to us.”
“It’s been better since Ellie’s bakery blew up,” Selma pointed out. “I managed to sell all our copies of The Fundamentals of Molecular Biotechnology, even the really ratty ones that looked like they’ve been through hell and back. But, like my boss said, it’s still not good enough.”
“It’s not,” Melly said. “True, I’ve had more people calling to inquire about yoga classes since Ellie’s bakery became famous. But out of ten inquiries, maybe only two or three joined. We need to do more.”
“This precinct had been a longtime fixture of Port Benedict,” Nicole said. “It was a big part of my childhood. My parents used to take me here, back when the corner store used to be a toy shop. It has such beautiful classic buildings, too. It would be a shame to see it go.”
“It’s not going anywhere.” There was determination in my voice. “We’ll do everything we can to stop it. We need to help those businesses that are struggling. Encourage more people to visit our strip and remind them what made the place so special.”
“Maybe we can rent one of those pop-up stalls inside the Plaza to promote our stuff,” Anahita suggested.
“That’s going to cost money.” Selma shook her head. “I’ve only sold six textbooks in the past week, and my boss will say he can’t afford to pay for another space when he can’t even make a profit out of his current one, which is totally fair.”
“What about making flyers and handing them out to people at the entrance of the Plaza?” Quinn suggested. “Anyone who brings one gets a ten percent discount or something? I can hand out free banana lattes with the flyers.”
“And free banana bread! That’ll go so well with the lattes.”
“Ooh, yes! We can play some K-pop music to attract people.”
“I can ask some of my students to do a yoga demonstration.”
“I have an idea.” I raised my voice a little so I could be heard among all the excited chatters. “What about holding a street festival? Here, at the precinct?”
Selma raised her eyebrows. “Like those Lunar New Year festivals in Chinatown?”
“Yes. There are studies about how street fairs boost the local economy. They promote the area, draw new visitors, which will bring new sales, and foster a sense of community pride. Here’s what I have in mind.
” I opened my laptop and the pages of research I’d put together.
“We’ll have to apply for a permit to host a street and sidewalk event, but the process is straightforward, and it’s all done online.
We can block off the entire street, set up stalls, give out free samples, hold coffee-making classes or yoga demonstrations.
We can also rent out stalls to other small businesses outside of this precinct, for people who want a cost-effective way to showcase their products, and that would help cover our costs. ”
Encouraged by everyone’s nods, I continued, “You can run promotions, giveaways, whatever you like. All those things you were talking about, but within the convenience of our own stores, so visitors will have a chance to see for themselves all the wonderful things we have to offer. It’s a great chance to elevate the profile of the area and bring more customers in, and hopefully that would encourage all the business owners not to sell to Goodwin.
And if no one is selling, they can’t go ahead with the project. ”
“I think that’s a sick idea,” Quinn said. “Anything to introduce more people to the goodness of banana-flavored coffees, I’m down.”
“I like what you said about renting out the stalls,” Melly said. “A friend of mine sells handmade jewelry, but she can’t afford to rent a storefront right now. This is perfect for her.”
“My sister-in-law would love that, too,” Nicole piped up. “She makes these gorgeous leather wallets and coin pouches. I’ll ask if she’s interested.”
“My cousin and his band can play for us,” Anahita said. “For free, because he owes me a shit ton of favors. Some music and dancing would interest people to check out the festival.”
We kept brainstorming and started divvying up jobs to get the ball rolling.
Melly would come up with a budget, and Anahita was in charge of applying for the permit, while Melody volunteered to reach out to local small businesses that might be interested in renting a stall.
Ellie was tasked with renting tables, tents, a portable stage, and all other necessary equipment, and my job was to find sponsors for the event.
The rest of the group would be working together to reach out to the other business owners in the precinct and market the festival to the greater Port Benedict community.
I left the meeting feeling buoyed and optimistic. If the idea worked, we’d be able to save the precinct and the yarn store in the process.
And then all I had to do was make sure that I was its official owner.