Modern lifestyles and new competition have inspired a band of
downtown merchants to extend their weekend hours of operation.
Morgan Hill – Modern lifestyles and new competition have inspired a band of downtown merchants to extend their weekend hours of operation.
Many of the area’s 90-plus restaurants and stores that have traditionally been shuttered Sundays plan to open their doors that day between noon and 4pm, starting Oct. 7. Meanwhile, a handful of businesses that have operated on weekends plan to stay open even longer. In total, residents can expect between 25 and 40 businesses to open Sundays, compared to the smattering of restaurants and stores that have long served as the downtown’s sole refuge for weekend diners and shoppers.
“We just want to meet the needs of the community, and it was brought to our attention that they want us to be open,” said Shirley Todd, owner of Continental Stitch, a knitting and crocheting store at 17337 Monterey St.
Todd, who is among the handful of businesses that has always operated on weekends, helped bring together other merchants to form a loose association committed to re-energizing the area. A consultant hired by the city told merchants in June that downtown business hours do not meet the needs of the modern family, which typically has two income earners who only have time to shop at night and on weekends.
But the changes are not just a matter of convenience, says Zack Alves, who runs Uppercut Marketing out of a downtown office at 35 East First St.
“Right now things are a little critical,” said Alves. “You have the big box retail coming, the new Target, and all those new shops. Downtown, the owners don’t have the hours to compete … it’s hard for them when you have the multimillion dollar media budget and brand awareness of the big boxes. … We’re trying to do what we can to survive, while there’s still time.”
New store hours aren’t the only changes afoot for the newly formed group of business owners. The group is also looking into improving the look of storefronts and creating a free map of downtown dining and retail locations, Alves said. Meanwhile, the Morgan Hill Downtown Association has hired an events coordinator to promote the area and lure more customers on a daily basis.
There is no single way to instantly revive downtown and buttress it against new competition, according to the downtown association’s executive director Theresa Kiernan. But she lauded the decision to extend hours as an important first step.
“(The Downtown Association) is definitely part of this process, but it has to be the merchants driving it,” she said, adding that “the merchants working to make it more convenient for customers will certainly help. We need to create an atmosphere where there are certain hours where it’s guaranteed customers can walk in.”
The idea has yet to kick in, but at least one downtown regular is already looking forward to the change. Morgan Hill resident Karen Hooper said she and her 2-year-old daughter often take strolls downtown on the weekends. A few more open doors would improve the atmosphere, she agreed.
“I think it would be wonderful if businesses were open later and on weekends,” said Hooper, a full-time homemaker. “It’s just nice to have it open and it’s a lot easier for me.”
