Local business owners in Wesleyan Park Plaza have shared the same struggles during the coronavirus pandemic, so they’re working together to help bounce back. They hosted and “block party” Wednesday, reporting a steady stream of business that may have helped create some new repeat customers.
Jaye Mosley, owner of Excursions and one of the organizers of the event, said it was a nice change of pace.
“We’re seeing our normal customers, but a few new ones were dribbling in from the other stores, so that’s always good,” she said. “Whenever we do something like this together we usually have a good result. This is sort of the kick-off of the sale season. I know we’ll keep doing things like this.”
Other businesses echoed her thoughts, saying they saw new faces as customers went from store to store to check out the deals. Even Kroger shoppers ventured down, with some saying they didn’t even realize the various boutiques and other specialty stores were located there.
Though it was called a “block party,” there were no crowds and everyone followed safety and distancing guidelines throughout the day.
“Everything went really well. Everyone stayed spaced out if they were from different households, and all our customers were very respectful of following all the safety guidelines that are expected of everyone,” said Christy Chaney, owner of Studio Slant.
Shoe Stop owner Mark Shively said now more than ever it’s important to shop local.
“Just about every tenant in this shopping center is a locally-owned business — not all, but most. I think we feed off each other,” he said. “People come out and they walk the whole center now. It’s a good thing to see.”
Matt Weafer, owner of Niko’s Bakery, said they were also busy all day and they were happy with the turnout. Weafer took over ownership of the bakery in February, one year after their grand opening.
“I love the community involvement and I love the unity and the relationships we are developing with our neighbors. Doing stuff like this is one of the reasons we picked this location,” he said. “It’s important to have that sense of community with where you work. There is nothing more important, in a time like this, than community.”
