Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Market supports retailers, artists
Bentonville businesses hope event brings shoppers downtown
BENTONVILLE — Shoppers had an opportunity to get a jump on holiday shopping and support local businesses Saturday with the resurgence of the Winter Market at Bentonville’s square.
Downtown Bentonville Inc. partnered with Live, Love, Events to feature the Winter Market, which hasn’t been offered in Bentonville for many years, said Andrew Heath, Downtown Bentonville executive director.
Live, Love, Events previously featured a similar event at the Benton County Fairgrounds but was unable to secure the space for the market this year, Heath said.
The event featured several dozen vendors, music by a DJ as well as food trucks, he said, adding it helps Downtown Bentonville get back to its roots.
“One of DBI’s major missions is to lift up the downtown retailers,” Heath said.
The nonprofit group wants to make sure its events aren’t just bringing people to the square, but are also creating foot traffic so people will visit the surrounding shops.
“It’s Small Business Saturday, so we’re trying to really generate a good crowd of people to come and spend some time down on the square,” he said. “It makes perfect sense to do it on this day, but we need to make sure that it’s not just one day, but that we continue this throughout the year.”
Lisa Jones owns Elysian Boutique, which is just off the square at 111 S. Main St.
The business is celebrating seven years of operation in downtown Bentonville today, Jones said.
Jones said she’s grateful the Winter Market is being offered in conjunction with Small Business Saturday and is in favor of anything bringing more business to downtown Bentonville.
“They can find their way around to the other stores,” she said of market participants. “I’m all about us all
generating business for each other.”
The resurgence of the Winter Market has the potential to build long-term awareness for Bentonville retailers, Heath said, adding people are apt to be surprised by what the town has to offer.
“Pinnacle isn’t the only place that you need to go shopping for the holiday season,” he said of Pinnacle Hills Promenade in Rogers. “During this holiday season, we’ll show the community that downtown Bentonville is a location just like many other retail locations in the area.”
Shopping in Bentonville presents an opportunity for people to support their neighbors and the local economy, Jones said.
“The Pinnacle is more box chain stores,” she said. “You’re not going to see that money coming back into the community.”
Many of the businesses in downtown Bentonville are locally owned, Jones said.
“You’re not only supporting the families that own the business, you’re supporting their staff and those that help them run their businesses,” she said. “Just support small. Support local.”
Christine Smart of Fayetteville stopped by the Winter Market to do some holiday shopping with her family, she said. The group didn’t plan on visiting any local shops, but did go to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art while in town.
“We were in the search for throw pillows, and I ended up getting glitter nail art,” Smart said, adding the addition of the honey the family picked up at the market made for a successful trip.
Shopping in person in downtown Bentonville offers an experience online shopping can’t duplicate, Heath said.
“I don’t think you can have an experience online,” he said. “What’s so neat about our community is that oneon-one interaction.”
Bentonville’s retailers want to know their customer base, Heath said.
“You walk into some of our stores, and they’ll know you by your first name, and you don’t get that experience online,” he said.
Downtown Bentonville planned to support local artists as well by incorporating Art Festival in the Field into the event, Heath said.
“We’ve been more intentional this year about supporting our local and regional artists,” he said.
Event organizers canceled the art sale due to inclement weather, said Tracie Kivisto, Downtown Bentonville event organizer
“We just got too much mud,” she said.
The art festival was to be featured in the field on the corner of Southeast A Street and Central Avenue, which Kivisto said had recently been sodded. Offering the event posed too great a risk for damaging the field, she said.
The art festival may be featured on a future to-be-determined date, Kivisto said.