Small Business Saturday saw downtown Jacksonville hopping
By Brynna Wilson
Photos by Khara Koffel
Small businesses occupy Jacksonville’s downtown area, so it’s no surprise that our Central Park is a popular location for shoppers on Small Business Saturday. This year was no different.
Shoppers and vendors populated the downtown area last Saturday, Nov. 30, for the Holidays in Central Park Vendor Market. Santa was already in his house ready for children to bring him their wishes, live music was playing by MK Smith and Damien Zimmerman, and vendors were set up inside as well as outside ready to show their selections to eager customers.
When planning an event, “Holidays in Central Park Vendor Fair” coordinators Julie Rowe and Jessica Lynn say, “It is important to have a team of dreamers, but more importantly doers. We have some pretty amazing and hard-working business owners downtown that were ready and willing to jump into action!” Rowe and Lynn have coordinated multiple markets and operate ‘Central Park Market’ during the warmer months.
The two agree: “We wanted to work together to create a holiday event in downtown Jacksonville that would rival the most magical hallmark movie. We began laying the groundwork for what we hope becomes something that stands apart and attracts people from all around to Jacksonville.”
Our downtown area is breathtaking this time of year thanks to hard working people like John Green and Michelle Thomas-Vogel with the City of Jacksonville. The large Christmas tree, lights strung around the park and wreaths on the lampposts all made the perfect backdrop for families to take photos while kids write letters to Santa, everyone drinks hot chocolate, and people get in line for the horse and carriage rides.
Events are important to the vibrant life of downtown Jacksonville. They bring in people from surrounding towns to see what our square has to offer, and hopefully they will come back in the near future and bring their friends and families. It can be difficult to get the word out that we have a thriving downtown square with a lot to offer, but once visitors come, they quickly see how special our square is.
