SUNDAY STROLL
Downtown businesses look to bring more shoppers in on Sundays
TROY, N.Y.» The local business community is on a mission to make downtown Troy the Sunday place to be.
With morning yoga on the riverfront, a flea market in the park and plenty of restaurants serving brunch, Sundays in downtown Troy have a lot to offer both residents and visitors.
While Saturdays are a busy day for the district with the Troy Waterfront Farmers Market, Sundays have been growing in popularity as well, thanks to an ongoing effort by multiple city organizations.
A recently released video features Troy resident Jessica Wayde and her mother doing different downtown activities in an effort to promote Sundays in Troy.
The video launched the hashtag #TroyDoesSundaysBetter, which is beginning to catch on among social media platforms.
Produced by Patrick Harris Jr. of Probity & Company, the video is an independent effort by Troy Flea, but belongs to the larger, continuing initiative to activate Sundays in Troy.
Local shop owner Debra Lockrow of Artcentric has been advocating for Troy businesses to be open on Sundays for a long time. “I’m all about Sundays in Troy,” she said. Her River Street store has always been open on Sundays, and it’s often one of her best business days.
For retailers who don’t have Sunday hours, Lockrow said, “If your door’s not open, they can only look in your window. It’s a lost opportunity.”
About three years ago, Lockrow started making and printing a flyer listing all of the downtown businesses that operate on Sun-
days. This was an answer to Sunday shoppers who frequently and frustratedly ask her “Why is no one else open?’ With the handout, she said, “At least I can help market the people that are open, and hopefully encourage more people to be open.”
Lockrow got the ball rolling with her paper flyers, which were recently updated through a collaboration with the Downtown Troy Business Improvement District, and now other downtown merchants are spreading the word through social media. The# TroyDoes Sundays Better hash tag and video are meant to help make Sundays in Troy as busy as they possibly can be, explained Kristin Jackson, manager of Troy Flea. This outdoor market now in its third year, operates from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in on the second and fourth Sundays of each month, June to September, in Riverfront Park.
Jackson sees Sundays as an opportunity for both businesses and patrons to benefit from each other.
Vendors don’t want to lose out on customers who can’t come on Saturdays, and people who go out on Sundays should be able to experience Troy and all its offerings, too.
“We figured why not make it a destination for the whole weekend,” Jackson said on why the flea market is held on Sundays. “I think Sundays are a good day for people to get in the car, even from like an hour away, and come check out a new city.”
Jackson continued, “We just wanted to make it so that Sundays had their own identity as well. Sunday is a big brunch day, and it’s kind of a different vibe [compared] to Saturday. It’s a lot more relaxed and chill.”
Some people start off that calm Sunday vibe with yoga at 9 a.m. in Riverfront Park. This program, called Fitness in the Park, was started in 2014 by the Downtown BID and has proven to be popular with yogis from near and far, drawing more than 250 participants each Sunday morning during the summer.
This, in turn, is a big sales boost for both the Troy Flea vendors and the businesses that are open in the downtown district.
Furthermore, BID director Katie Hammon noted that The Troy Flea has also helped the Sunday initiative by adding to downtown programming on Sundays and providing another draw to the district. “Their promotion of the market has also encouraged guests to explore beyond the flea market into the shops and restaurants downtown,” she said.
In addition to yoga and shopping, any foodie’s favorite Sunday activity is brunch. “Sundays have been building with the growth of Sunday brunch offered by many of the downtown bars and restaurants,” Hammon said. “Therefore the BID has encouraged retail businesses to take advantage of the influx of individuals enjoying Troy on Sunday mornings and early afternoons.”
With this increased traffic downtown on Sundays, the updated brochure now available at Artcentric and other downtown hotspots, details places to shop, dine and explore on Sundays, with business addresses and hours listed to easily plan a day out and about, Hammon said.
Whether it’s a cup of coffee at Spill’n the Beans, a hearty meal at Bootlegger’s Bar & Grill, gift shopping at Annick Designs or beer tasting at Brown’s Brewing Co., there are lots of places for people to spend time and money on a Sunday in Troy.
Since the creation of the brochure, Hammon reported, additional businesses have decided to be open, or offer programming on Sundays to reach the growing market.
Lockrow hopes the list will continue to expand. “The simplest thing can do as a business is open your door,” she said.
Like Jackson, Lockrow wants Troy to be a Sunday destination. “I would like Troy to be like Vermont, a place people stop in on a Sunday afternoon, shop and eat and enjoy our history and everything we have to offer,” she said. “I want people to think downtown Troy on a Sunday.”
Sundays in Troy is an ongoing effort, but advocates believe they can achieve their goals by continuing to improve offerings and spreading the word.
Jackson said, “It really is about building the community and having everybody work together to make our city the best we can.”