How to start a Main Street stroll or Art Walk

Any advice on how to conduct a Main Street stroll?

The idea is to get our locals to actually come into our stores.  We have many retirees with money living in our community but they seem to have no use for Main St.  They often drive several hours to the nearest city to shop.  We are wanting to create an event to get them to come into our stores and check it out.

Thinking of having wine, chocolates, food, entertainment.  Don’t have a large budget.

Thanks for any help or direction you could give me.
Rene Smith
Co-Director Custer County Chamber of Commerce
Westcliffe, CO

Alva, Oklahoma, Art Walks have been going for a year and a half now.

Around here, I hear more often about “Art Walks” than “Main Street strolls,” but the concept seems to be the same: putting the focus on downtown or a shopping or arts district for a special evening event. Businesses stay open late. Artists display their works. Musicians perform. Some businesses put out refreshments. Some run specials or offer other incentives to make a purchase. The emphasis is on community and fun.

I have a couple of video interviews that might help with establishing a walk or stroll, one is from an established art walk in Hutchinson, Kansas, and one from a just-getting-started art walk in Alva, Oklahoma.

In an unrelated, but possibly helpful topic, here’s how one merchant started something that really packs downtown for shopping.

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About Becky McCray

Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.

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