Business & Tech
Arts, Beats & Eats: Some Businesses Say It Can't Be Beat; Others Say Beat It
Some businesses love Arts, Beats & Eats while others find it overwhelming and disappointing.
When it comes to Arts, Beats, & Eats this weekend, some downtown business owners say they love it and thrive, while others find it frustrating and take a big hit. Those in the food industry generally love it, whether they have a booth in the festival or not.
This year when Janice Girling, owner of Goldfish Tea on Fourth Street, opens her doors during Arts, Beats & Eats she’ll have a different perspective than last year.
“This year the Arts, Beats & Eats team expanded the footprint of the festival to include Fourth Street. We are very excited!” said Girling. Goldfish offers a respite from the heat with cool, refreshing teas and smoothies, as well as a nice selection of sandwiches and snacks.
Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.
Across the street from Goldfish is the Town Tavern, which geared up for the event by bringing on extra staffers.
“We anticipate a big crowd,” said manager Margo Ladd, adding that the Tavern was busier than normal last year. They look forward to the excitement and crowd.
Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.
Other businesses find the festival frustrating and bad for the bottom line.
"Our business is in the heart of the festival," said Francesca Watruba, manager of Palazzolo Salon at the Fifth on Washington, which means their clients have to pay the mandatory $15 parking fee assigned by the festival and the $3 admission fee, since they are inside the festival property.
“Basically, our clients have to pay an additional $18 if they want to come for a haircut or makeup session during Arts, Beats & Eats, which really isn’t fair to them or us,” Watruba said. She hopes that next year the festival committee will provide vouchers for parking and admittance to the business owners who still want to be open on Labor Day weekend.
Some businesses, such as Pronto on Washington, embrace the festival by creating special menus and having a booth.
“In the past, Labor Day was a slow weekend. Since Arts, Beats & Eats has been downtown, we’ve had record sales,” said Suede Garret-Alan, manager of Pronto. Pronto expects lines out the door.
