An Isetta, the Italian car that opens from the front, was one of the vintage autos attracting attention on Main Street at Summerfest Saturday, July 18. —Macklin Reid photo
Morning rain gave way to a sunny afternoon and a lively Summerfest with lots of people on Main Street looking at vintage cars, wandering among tents and tables on the street, and going in and out of village shops.
“I think we hit it out of the ballpark,” said Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Susan Ahlstrom.
“I heard this from other people. They heard it was the best one in years, the best sidewalk sale/summer sale yet,” she said.
“The rain definitely impacted the turnout a little bit, but when the sun came out we definitely got the crowds we were looking for…
“Our vendors were very pleased. We had a number of new vendors, and a number of people who often participate, and the feedback has been very positive…
“People loved the car show.”
“It seemed like the crowds were bigger than in past years,” said Ellen Burns of Books on the Common.
“We had a good day. We had a cookbook author signing from noon to 2, and she was out front.
“The streets were busy and very crowded every time I looked out. So I thought it went well. We lucked out with the weather.”
Anne Lathrop of the Toy Chest agreed.
“It definitely seemed to be better than most. We were busy,” she said.
“The weather turned out really nice, and I think it was a nice day.”
Other towns, too
She noted that there were sidewalk sales in other towns that day, including nearby Wilton, and New Canaan with its large, well-known shopping district.
“It’s tough. New Canaan had one,” she said. “…There were a lot of towns that had them all on the same day.
“Some of the other towns have a lot of retail to draw. It’s tough to compete…
“If people are coming for a festive day just to have activities, it’s great. If people are coming for deals they’re going to go to a town with a lot more retail.”
Folks who came in The Toy Chest did seem to be enjoying themselves.
“People were talking about the cars, people liked the vintage cars. And everybody liked the music,” Lathrop said.
Chamber of Commerce board member Nancy O’Connell of the yarn and needlework shop Nancy O got positive reactions both from people who came into her shop Saturday and from fellow merchants she spoke with afterwards.
“We had great feedback from people in town,” she said.
“I can tell you, from my perspective it was a very big success. I had a lot of people come into my shop to tell me how great it was, how they enjoyed themselves.”
In recent years Main Street has been closed from Catoonah Street north to Prospect Street. This year the street was shut down for the entire village length of the commercial village, from Governor Street to Prospect.
“Having the south side of Main Street open really seemed to make it feel bigger, and it was more cohesive across all the businesses on that end,” O’Connell said.
“It was a great day. It was just a great feeling having it all opened up like that…
“For a slow start with the weather, and turning into a pretty hot day, we had a lot of people in town. For the most part I’ve heard really good things.
“People were just saying ‘Wow this is a really a great day.’ They loved the cars.”
Survey planned
The Chamber will be looking more closely at the reactions that members got in their businesses.
“We’re going to send out a survey to see what people think,” O’Connell said.
“I’ve gotten good feedback from anybody I’ve spoken to,” she said.
“I know the shops on my street were doing well.”
She said special events downtown may not translate into big sales days for every merchant, but they bring people into town to learn what’s there — and often those people return.
“Sometimes the success doesn’t come day of, if you’re just looking at bottom line,” she said.
“I’ve always found people will find my business if they’re out for the day, and a lot of times they’ll come back.”
Ahlstrom said the vintage cars show worked out better than organizers were expecting when they woke up to a rainy morning.
“We had 65 cars registered. We were anticipating a lot would show up that day. When the rain came — they often don’t like to bring the cars out in the rain. We were actually pleasantly surprised that as many came as they did.”
Ahlstrom said the shuttle bus from the East Ridge Middle School parking lot to the village didn’t seem to be needed, though she was very apppreciative of Ridgefield Crossings for providing its bus and a driver.
“People didn’t use it as much as we expected,” she said. “…People coming in, it seemed they were able to get parking … We definitely had a really large crowd, but somehow it was spread out during the day.”
Business awards
Ahlstrom said Chamber judges gave out seven awards to businesses with windows and decorations that were successfully in keeping with the 1970s theme of what was officially billed as ‘Ridgefield Rewinds: Super ’70s Summerfest.’
The awards, which Chamber members seem to have had fun with, were:
The God’s Eye Award for Technical Achievement in Yarn – Nancy O;
The Disco Ball Award for Best Overall Groovy Vibe – The Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance;
The Harvest Gold Award for Best Use of Color – Craig’s Fine Jewelry;
The Stayin’ Alive Throwback Award for Best Use of Vintage Props – Interiors & Designs by Ursula
The Dyn-O-Mite Award for Innovative Display – Keller Williams Realty
The Way We Were Award for the Best Use of Books and Records to Bring Us Back in Time – Books on the Common.
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