They help draw visitors to downtown districts from Santa Cruz to San Jose, now Gilroy will get its own First Friday, starting Jan. 6.
The grassroots effort, led by Gilroy Community for a Better Downtown founder Joe Lovecchio and a team of volunteers, at this early stage, calls for downtown shops to stay open longer, from 6 to 10:30 pm.
“It was the biggest hangup when we had Fifth Street Live with Movable Feast,” recalled Lovecchio about the summer concert series and gourmet food truck caravan that drew thousands to downtown Friday nights, surprising many in the city. “People wanted to check out the stores but a lot were already closed.”
One of those would-be patrons was Zachary Hilton, a recent transplant from Berkeley who moved just a 10-minute walk from downtown Gilroy with his wife and family, and is now helping to organize the First Friday events. The team of volunteers was out talking to downtown merchants after Christmas to generate support.
“We got hooked walking downtown for Moveable Feast,” said Hilton.“We were blown away how everyone came together; we made it our family night.”
In Berkeley, Hilton said he enjoyed the social aspect of lingering in restaurants, meeting friends in coffee shops, and strolling along well-lit streets with open shopfronts late into the evening, and believes many in Gilroy want that for their downtown, too.
“There is a group of people that enjoy being in an older downtown,” he said.
After Hilton attended downtown’s October Beer Crawl, notable for introducing him to the regionally-renowned carnitas at Carnitas Michoacan, he hit on the idea of First Fridays, an initiative that has worked in other downtowns.
“You are a customer and the first Friday of the month is coming up, and you look on social media or hear about what’s happening through word-of-mouth,” said Hilton. “It’s really easy for everyone to remember.”
Passing hundreds of residences on his way to the shops and restaurants on Monterey Road, he realized, there are also many potential customers within a short walking distance.
“I love living in the center of Gilroy where I can walk to the shops and restaurants on First Street and meet up with friends in downtown Gilroy; if I can come home from work on Friday and leave my car at home for that night and the rest of the weekend; I’m all about that.” said HIlton.
Initially, the First Friday initiative will highlight a couple of downtown merchants on social media — the Gilroy Community for a Better Downtown Facebook page has 3512 members alone — and later expand to include art displays, live music and special offers at participating locations.
“What we ultimately want is for people to come downtown and pick a place to enjoy dinner and before or after shop at the stores that are open,” said Lovecchio.
Prioritizing late-night shopping and dining seems a great way to cater to the needs of a growing commuter city where only about 20 percent of Gilroy residents work within city limits.
“People are commuting back and forth and by the time they get home it’s too late to go the shops that close at 4 or 6,” said Hilton. “This is the perfect platform to draw in families, not just the 21 and over crowd – everybody that liked Moveable Feast.”
If you are a downtown merchant or downtown supporter and would like to get involved with First Fridays, contact
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,
li***********@gm***.com
(se habla espanol),
jo**********@me.com
.
