A couple sits outside of Ritter’s Housemade Foods during the first phase of Salem’s reopening on Friday, May 22. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
It is the middle of summer. Usually, we would have had the World Beat Festival and the Salem Art Fair and Festival.
With none of these events happening this year, downtown Salem is struggling. The many small, entrepreneurial businesses continue to depend on loyal customers to survive.
Of course, with the virus looming, dining outdoors is more attractive and fun in the summer.
Salem Main Street Association, the group that brought the city Dancing with the Salem Stars, On Your Feet Friday, First Wednesdays, alley names, and murals, recently succeeded in gaining approval for some street closures to allow more outside dining. Those streets include Court and State streets (between Front and High) and High street (between State and Ferry).
These areas are closed to parking and through traffic, but alleyways will remain open. The times are Saturday at 6 am to Sunday at 8 pm.
Association President Jim Vu is enthusiastic about the street closures.
“I think what’s happened over the stay-at-home order is a perception that downtown is closed. We need to get folks to get downtown, shop, dine, and make a day of it,” said Vu.
He said a few people seem concerned about parking, but with parking structures there are many free and unlimited parking options downtown.
“It’s not any farther than walking from the Costco parking lot to the bakery,” he joked.
Vu believes the Summer Streets program will be essential for both retail and dining establishments.
“We have to get people out there. You had three months of decreased to no revenue for a lot of these businesses. That’s scary. The biggest thing is figuring out a safe way to shop and dine downtown. Outdoors is the catalyst for that. Businesses that choose to take advantage of a sidewalk and street closures will benefit from it,” he said.
An additional challenge faced by the association is the lack of funding. In the past, it was eligible for support from the downtown parking tax. With the city having a budget shortfall, that wasn’t in the budget.
However, the city did waive the fees for the street closure.
Covid shutdowns have forced restaurants to face a harsh reality. This week, a popular downtown restaurant,TableFive508, announced its closure.
“If restaurants are forced to close again, they may never open. They struggle with food waste, social distance requirements, loss of employees. If you are looking for work in the food service industry, you will find it now,” Vu added.
The association is part of a national Main Street program. Local citizens can participate in one of their four committees:
–Design – streetscape environment
-Economic Vitality – recruiting and retaining businesses reducing vacancy, connecting businesses.
-Promotions – bringing people downtown.
-Organization – logistics, fundraising, organization management.
The group accepts donations on its website and seeks volunteers to set up and break down the street closures and help with holiday displays. Connect with association here.
Select streets in downtown Salem will close each weekend through the summer to allow restaurants to provide expanded outdoor seating. (Salem Main Street Association map)
Mary Louise VanNatta is a Salem public relations professional writing regularly for Salem Reporter. During the quarantine, she will be connecting with Salem nonprofits. Tell her about your nonprofit needs at [email protected] and follow her on Facebook.
