Carytown has a case of copycat fever.
Merchants in Carytown have organized their version of the First Fridays Art Walk, which brings an after-work crowd to Broad Street downtown.
Starting in July, on the first Thursday of the month, Carytown businesses will be open until 8 p.m. The retailers there generally close closer to 5.
“The Carytown Merchants Association saw the success that First Friday brings to that area on those days, and they wanted to replicate that,” said Chris Birkl, manager at Cartwheels and Coffee, a play area for kids and coffee shop for parents.
“Cartwheels is going to provide day care for parents on First Thursdays so that parents can go shopping, eat out and just enjoy a night out on the town,” Birkl added.
The Carytown Merchants Association has more than 60 members, and Bob Broomfield, owner of the Play N Trade video game store in Carytown, said that they are trying to establish a support network where stores in the area look out for one another.
“I want Carytown stores to function like an Amish community,” Broomfield said.
BizSense had reported that Carytown had seen an increase in vacancies on account of more store closures. Broomfield said businesses that sell more expensive goods are the ones closing or struggling.
Initially, First Thursdays focused on the fashion retailers, but the Carytown Merchants Association has been organizing most stores to remain open later on that day.
Carytown has made a number of changes to try and stay ahead of the struggling economy, Broomfield said, including having the whole area designated as a shopping center.
That cuts down on the number of parking spots they must purchase.
“We’ve made a lot of positive changes. We’ve lost some businesses, but we’re attracting other younger businesses that cater to a younger consumer, which is a good thing for Carytown,” Broomfield said.
He added that each business has had to change things to survive the downturn.
“We’ve had to change our business model a bit,” Broomfield said. “We’ve stopped focusing on new games and are instead focusing a bit more on vintage games and consoles and trade-ins.”
David Larter is a BizSense reporter. Please send news tips to [email protected]
Carytown has a case of copycat fever.
Merchants in Carytown have organized their version of the First Fridays Art Walk, which brings an after-work crowd to Broad Street downtown.
Starting in July, on the first Thursday of the month, Carytown businesses will be open until 8 p.m. The retailers there generally close closer to 5.
“The Carytown Merchants Association saw the success that First Friday brings to that area on those days, and they wanted to replicate that,” said Chris Birkl, manager at Cartwheels and Coffee, a play area for kids and coffee shop for parents.
“Cartwheels is going to provide day care for parents on First Thursdays so that parents can go shopping, eat out and just enjoy a night out on the town,” Birkl added.
The Carytown Merchants Association has more than 60 members, and Bob Broomfield, owner of the Play N Trade video game store in Carytown, said that they are trying to establish a support network where stores in the area look out for one another.
“I want Carytown stores to function like an Amish community,” Broomfield said.
BizSense had reported that Carytown had seen an increase in vacancies on account of more store closures. Broomfield said businesses that sell more expensive goods are the ones closing or struggling.
Initially, First Thursdays focused on the fashion retailers, but the Carytown Merchants Association has been organizing most stores to remain open later on that day.
Carytown has made a number of changes to try and stay ahead of the struggling economy, Broomfield said, including having the whole area designated as a shopping center.
That cuts down on the number of parking spots they must purchase.
“We’ve made a lot of positive changes. We’ve lost some businesses, but we’re attracting other younger businesses that cater to a younger consumer, which is a good thing for Carytown,” Broomfield said.
He added that each business has had to change things to survive the downturn.
“We’ve had to change our business model a bit,” Broomfield said. “We’ve stopped focusing on new games and are instead focusing a bit more on vintage games and consoles and trade-ins.”
David Larter is a BizSense reporter. Please send news tips to [email protected]
That was the brainchild of David Johnson at the NYD year ago. It’s about time carytown get off it’s butt and did something! But guys gave credit where credit is due! Good luck…we all now how New Years turn out last year without RVA and The Deli.
I’m sorry, but you’re mistaken. When Fashion First started a few years ago, attempts were made to make it more inclusive, encouraging shops other than clothing stores to participate but those efforts were ignored.
As far as NYE is concerned, Carytown’s lost money every year.