I'm operating under the assumption that the minutes from last week's Merchant Mixer are meant to be shared, and I do so, in this space, in case any downtown business owner missed reading the report. It was the first mixer that I've attended, and it was highly informative. Along these general lines, my Thursday column for the Tribune is about organizing a "buy local first" movement. Thanks to Curt and Pam Peters for these notes!
Merchant Mixer
Minutes
May 26, 2010
Approximately 28 were present including representatives from Harvest Homecoming, Printer Plus, River City Winery, Carnegie Center, City of New Albany, Shall We Dance?, PNC, AAA Plumbing, Farmers’ Market, Develop New Albany, Honeymoon Mansion, Thorpe Woodworks, Riverfront, Bicentennial Committee, Main Source Bank, Prestons, Conner Jewelers, The Tribune, NABC/Bank Street Brewhouse, Studios, and Gallery on Pearl.
Several brought appetizers, beverages, and desserts. Thanks!
Mayor England talked about a new approach to street parking in the heart of downtown. A group from Louisville recently ate and shopped downtown on their first trip here for those purposes and were dismayed to get a parking ticket. So the mayor is calling off ticketing on the central downtown streets so that customers can eat and shop at their leisure, but he expects EVERY MERCHANT, BUSINESS OWNER, AND WORKER downtown to park in the parking garage, farmers’ market area, or other public space off the streets so that the street parking is reserved for customers only. Reasonable monthly passes for the garage and farmers’ market are available from Marcey Wisman, the City Clerk. The 2-hour parking limit signs will remain but will not be enforced. The businesses are expected to police their employees. A map will be distributed by the city to businesses covering this. C. Peters suggested that new signs be put up saying, “Customer Parking Only.” - On a related point, street sweeping downtown will be done earlier in the morning.
Kerry Nicolas from HHC reminded everyone to send in booth reservations within the next few days. Booth spots that are only walkways to stores do not need to have someone in them the full specified time, but booths that sell or display things do.
Information was shared about:
The Riverfront Stage events including the great opening the previous Saturday and the wonderful schedule of free events throughout the summer
Exclusively New Albany (this year called, “It Takes a Village”), will feature food and exhibits at the Mayor’s house on the evening of Thursday, June 17; tickets in advance are available for $30 from DNA website (www.developna.org) and The Gallery on Pearl
The Glass Art Society exhibits at several venues in New Albany on June 11 (evening) and June 12 (afternoon); merchants are urged to be open for the busloads of people coming from the national GAS conference in Louisville for this – notify Karen Gillenwater at the Carnegie if you will be open
The bicentennial art walk also on the evening of June 11 featuring five new sculptures and historians at each of the sites
The wonderful new park next to the Scribner House
Announcements were made about several things including the opening soon of La Bocca Italian restaurant and in July of La Rosita Mexican restaurant. Plans are underway for a Bicentennial Park at the corner of Pearl and Spring. It was suggested that we have downtown “block captains” to help with communication.
It was a good meeting. - Curt & Pam Peters
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