NORTHAMPTON — Shoppers crowded the downtown area Thursday through Sunday as vendors set up shop for the annual Sidewalk Sales event, which for the first time in its decades-long history included vendors from outside of the downtown community.
The summer event sees stores set up tents on and around Main Street, with vendors touting special sales over the four-day period. Four vendors that are not located downtown — although still local to the Valley — were included this year.
A major driver to extend this invitation beyond its usual boundaries was the closure of Faces gift store, said Amy Cahillane, executive director of the Downtown Northampton Association, which organizes the Sidewalk Sales.
The downtown fixture, which had been on Main Street since 1986, closed suddenly at the end of March due to a decline in foot traffic and rising expenses, one of the store’s owners told the Gazette in April. Faces reopened at the Hampshire Mall in late April, but the Main Street space that hosted the iconic storefront for over 30 years remains vacant.
“Faces had a huge Sidewalk Sales presence downtown, and I knew that that was going to leave a gap in the sidewalk, and a presence that would be missed,” Cahillane said. “So rather than just leaving it vacant, we thought it would be a good opportunity to invite in a few outside vendors and see how that went.”
Inviting outside vendors was also a “topic that came up periodically,” she added, “and we figured we’d see how it would go. We try to do something a little different each year.” The Sidewalk Sales event has hosted some organizations from outside of downtown prior to this year, but they were not retail vendors.
No one has been able to figure out exactly when the Sidewalk Sales began, Cahillane said, but Gazette photos shared on the Forbes Library Facebook page show that the event was already being held in 1968.
Among the four shops from outside of downtown was Odd’s Bodkins, described as “Oddities, Clothing, & Home Decor For the Strange and Unusual” on a sign hanging from the shop’s display.
Securing a space at the Sidewalk Sales was “an invaluable opportunity,” said Natalie Kassirer, owner of the online store.
“I’ve never sold to such a big crowd before,” she continued. “Being in Northampton is great. I feel like there are a lot of kindred spirits out here.”
Kassirer said she had long dreamed of having a store, and began selling her curated items online in December. But as she told one shopper who stopped by and asked if Odd’s Bodkins had a storefront, the shop has no physical location yet.
“That’s the question I’ve been asked the most today,” Kassirer noted of the shopper’s inquiry. Someday, Kassirer hopes to give a different answer.
“The dream would be to have a Northampton storefront,” she said. “That would be amazing.”
But for now, Kassirer sees the realization of this goal as probably “far in the future.”
Clay & Dough owner Lily Fariborz, who also does not have a downtown storefront, echoed Kassirer’s sentiments about the Sidewalk Sales providing increased exposure for her products.
“Northampton, hopefully, seems like where my stuff would sell,” Fariborz said, citing the “natural-based” appeal of her pottery.
Fariborz has been making pottery for 14 years, and selling her products for three years. She also does not have a permanent location, but sells her products online and through some Pioneer Valley stores.
Business owners who spoke with the Gazette said that the Sidewalk Sales promote a positive atmosphere among the downtown community, which some said is needed in light of recent store closures.
Although appreciative of the opportunity to sell at the Sidewalk Sales, Kassirer expressed some worries that the opportunity is reflective of empty storefronts on Main Street. The situation highlights a “sadness about businesses closing in town,” she said, as well as a “sadness about people like me being unable to have a business in town.”
“There are a lot of storefronts that are open, and I would love to fill them,” Kassirer said. But, she added, high rental costs in Northampton combined with financial problems faced by millennials serve as roadblocks for young store owners hoping to break into the downtown market.
Aside from Faces, Main Street spa Brooks & Butterfield also closed abruptly in April, and Sam’s Pizzeria and Cafe quietly shut its doors for good in February. Nearby on Crafts Avenue, Glazed Doughnut Shop also closed its Northampton location in April, and on Armory Street, La Fiorentina pastry shop announced on Thursday that it will be closing in August.
But not all news has been dire for downtown this year. In February, the landmark train car diner on Strong Avenue, which had been vacant since 2013, reopened as Familiars Coffee & Tea, and The Majestic Saloon opened recently on Main Street.
According to the city’s 2018 Downtown Northampton Economic Indicators Report, which has the most recent information available, the downtown area had a vacancy rate of 6.5 percent last year, with 15 vacant stores. The report shows nine new arrivals and eight departures.
Set up in front of the empty Faces storefront, Frankie Molongoski, owner of Sassy Pants Vintage and Used Clothing, said she felt like she had big shoes to fill, but also embraced the opportunity.
“It feels very sad that they’re closed,” Molongoski said of Faces. “Not that anything is going to replace Faces, but there’s something for everyone at (Sassy Pants) … It’s eclectic.”
Sassy Pants, which is located at 2 Conz St. and is considered part of the downtown area, appeared at the Sidewalk Sales for the first time this year.
The occasion marks “the one time I can be on Main Street, because the rent can be a little crazy on Main Street,” Molongoski said.
Terri Pajak, a manager and buyer at Synergy clothing store, said that businesses from outside of downtown were a welcome addition to this year’s event, particularly in light of Faces’ closure.
“They should keep the sidewalk full,” Pajak said. “I was glad they rented in front of Faces so it wasn’t empty.”
For established downtown businesses, the Sidewalk Sales are a busy but unifying time of year, according to some Main Street store managers.
At Synergy, the Sidewalk Sales arrive at just the right time to empty out the store’s summer styles and make way for fall and winter merchandise, Pajak said. Pajak has worked the Sidewalk Sales for over 20 years.
“It’s a lot of work, but it’s a lot of fun, too,” Pajak said of the event.
Bridget Martin, store manager at Cedar Chest, said the increased foot traffic generated by the Sidewalk Sales does lead to a boost in sales, but added that the annual event is more notable for bringing the downtown community together.
“It’s fun for people,” Martin said. “I think it’s a lot of work for the merchants, but I think most of us enjoy the atmosphere and sense of community.”
While shopping at Synergy, Amherst resident Maria Moos said she has shopped at the Sidewalk Sales for many years and finds the event to be “a lot of fun.” Moos stops by Main Street on occasion and enjoys the atmosphere of downtown in general, but said that she particularly looks forward to the annual shopping event.
Moos said she appreciated the addition of businesses from outside of downtown this year, as it can expose shoppers to vendors they might not have heard of otherwise.
Jacquelyn Voghel can be reached at jvoghel@gazettenet.com.