After the sale
People stroll Ludington Street during Sidewalk Sales on Friday. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
A woman pauses to check out clothing on a sidewalk rack before entering Water Lily Gifts & Gather, one of the newest businesses in Escanaba. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
A small group of shoppers cross Ludington Street near 10th Street during Escanaba's Sidewalk Sales. A disc golf basket outside The Beaten Path invites people to try their throw; in the foreground are jars of honey sold by Ms. Beehiving. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
A rack outside Nomadic Skate & Snow at 606 Ludington St. sought to attract passersby on Friday and Saturday. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
A group of shoppers leave Water Lily Gifts & Gather, some of them carrying fresh purchases. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
A man asks Jon Harris what types of bicycles he services at The Beaten Path, the answer to which was, "all makes and models." (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
Between rain spells on Friday, the sidewalks in Escanaba saw foot traffic greater than other days this summer. Businesses have taken a hit during Ludington Street construction, and the sales were a way to help bring life back. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
People stroll Ludington Street during Sidewalk Sales on Friday. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
A woman pauses to check out clothing on a sidewalk rack before entering Water Lily Gifts & Gather, one of the newest businesses in Escanaba. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
A small group of shoppers cross Ludington Street near 10th Street during Escanaba's Sidewalk Sales. A disc golf basket outside The Beaten Path invites people to try their throw; in the foreground are jars of honey sold by Ms. Beehiving. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
A rack outside Nomadic Skate & Snow at 606 Ludington St. sought to attract passersby on Friday and Saturday. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
A group of shoppers leave Water Lily Gifts & Gather, some of them carrying fresh purchases. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
A man asks Jon Harris what types of bicycles he services at The Beaten Path, the answer to which was, "all makes and models." (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
Between rain spells on Friday, the sidewalks in Escanaba saw foot traffic greater than other days this summer. Businesses have taken a hit during Ludington Street construction, and the sales were a way to help bring life back. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
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ESCANABA -- The annual sidewalk sale that regularly takes place in July in Delta County’s larger city happened on Friday after two reschedulings due to the construction on Ludington Street, and local businesses reported a decent turnout.
“I would say sidewalk sales were successful. We were not as busy as in the past years, but all things considered, it was so nice seeing people actually walking around downtown,” said Sue Parker of Nyman Jewelers, stating that her business did well on Friday. “The event was late this year because of the construction. It wouldn't be fair to have sidewalk sales when some businesses didn't have sidewalks,” she remarked.
At least 12 businesses made efforts to offer deals during the event, which the Downtown Development Authority called “Sidewalk Sizzlin’ Summer Sales.”
Amidst rainfall, however, not all downtown stores had setups outside, but a fair number of pedestrians still made the trip.
"I actually did see an increase in traffic from out-of-town people coming in for the sidewalk sales,” said Leigh’s Garden Winery tasting room manager Kylee Owens. “A lot of people commented that they were expecting more outside on the sidewalk and more business or even pop-up shops outside as well."
At Canterbury Book Store, “Sidewalk Sales Friday was among of our highest-revenue days this whole year thus far,” reported co-owner Jesse Traub. “Our special that day wasn’t anything major, just a big discount on books in the back room, but honestly, most purchases that people ended up making didn’t even fall under that.
“We were happy that so many made the trip out that day and checked in on all the businesses,” Traub added gratefully.
Expressing optimism about the future of Ludington Street, “hopefully the street will be open soon, and I predict we will have a strong fourth quarter for sales,” Parker said.