In an ongoing effort to promote local businesses, the City of Morgan Hill is encouraging downtown retailers to participate in the weekly “Sidewalk Saturdays” downtown shopping event starting Oct. 3.
Sidewalk Saturdays is an “outdoor popup retail marketplace along the south sidewalk of East Third Street between Monterey Road and Depot Street,” reads a Sept. 16 letter to downtown Morgan Hill businesses from the city’s Economic Development Director, Edith Ramirez.
The event will occur every Saturday from 10am to 2pm, from Oct. 3 through the end of the year, weather permitting. Sidewalk Saturdays will allow non-food retailers an opportunity to showcase and sell their products, while at the same time creating a “street activation” that will hopefully attract visitors and encourage them to stay in the city’s downtown for longer than they otherwise would, according to Ramirez’s letter.
“This retailers’ market is part of the City of Morgan Hill’s Economic Recovery Plan to support businesses during the Covid-19 shelter-in-place,” reads the Sept. 16 letter.
Vendors participating in Sidewalk Saturdays will be asked to arrive at 8am to unload and set up their booths on East Third Street. The street will not be closed. Vendors will be asked to park at the downtown parking garage and clean up their booth spaces by 3pm each Saturday.
All vendors will be required to follow Santa Clara County and State of California Covid-19 social distancing guidelines.
The program is part of the city’s “Buy Local” campaign, which encourages residents to support locally owned businesses. Vendors located downtown—not just on Third Street—are encouraged to participate in Sidewalk Saturdays by using their storefront sidewalks to attract visitors with displays and decorations.
For more information about Sidewalk Saturdays, contact Hilary Holeman at [email protected] or (408) 310-4656.
