Merchants in Vancouver’s Uptown Village expect more than 350 people at the neighborhood’s Sip and Stroll event Dec. 1. And they hope it won’t be a one-night stand.
“Just bringing people down here is kind of difficult,” said Claire Ghormley, who is on the event committee. She is co-owner of Mon Ami coffee and crepes café, and added that nearby Starbucks and Subway shops draw traffic to the area, but visitors skip local merchants down the street at times.
The neighborhood is on the move, centered between Mill Plain and Fourth Plain boulevards and Broadway and Columbia streets. In the last 18 months a variety of businesses have opened in the area including Mon Ami, Moxie’s, Provecho Mexican Grill, La Bottega, Uptown Attic, Fit Sisters and Cellar 55. But some say the neighborhood needs more foot traffic to really take off, especially during evenings and weekends.
That’s part of the reason Uptown business owners are hosting Sip and Stroll. The event offers wine tasting, live music and shopping discounts throughout the neighborhood.
Peter Hatcher, owner of Moxie’s soda shop, the event’s headquarters, said Sip and Stroll appeals to a “yuppie” demographic that he predicts will give the area a boost – a group of people with money to spend in a neighborhood where they might purchase homes.
Sip and Stroll came into being four years ago. Event committee chair Cirith Anderson-Sebree said the success of the event shows cohesiveness and connection between the merchants, which is likely one of the reasons new businesses have come to the area lately.
Attendance at the first event was about 60, but has risen strongly each year, with more than 350 anticipated in 2007.
“Last year it was really packed,” said Ghormley. “It was almost too much.”
Merchants serving wine samples are receiving training and temporary licenses from the liquor control board. Wine will be available for purchase at Moxie’s on Main, where visitors can check in for a wine glass, walking map and wrist band. Information on taxi services will be available for those who don’t feel safe driving, and parking will be reserved for taxi pick-ups at 19th Avenue and Main Street.
Music is taking more of the spotlight at this year’s event than in the past. At least 12 classical, jazz and alternative rock groups or soloists will perform, and more than half are from Vancouver.
Proceeds from the event will go to the Uptown Village Association, which is a not-for-profit organization of merchants; the evening’s raffle proceeds will benefit Evergreen Habitat for Humanity.
Jayne Smith, owner of Le Bijou women’s boutique, would like to see Uptown businesses hold events more often. She acknowledged the time and energy it takes to make that happen, but said events in her shop, like a recent “martini massage” party, help develop a customer base.
Ghormley added that events like Sip and Stroll make her feel “like Vancouver has an identity and a place to go.”
Sip and Stroll
4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Dec. 1
Uptown Village in Vancouver
$25 for wine sampling and shopping discounts
$5 for shopping discounts only
www.uptownvillage.com
