JDH Capital LLC is Developer
Plaza’s DeveloperNEWS - Retail & Shopping Centers
Written by By Ted Carter Tuesday, 15 September 2009 17:05
As beach weather gives way to autumn briskness, Tybee merchants will roll out a welcome mat along the city’s sidewalks Oct. 24 in hopes of drawing visitors seeking bargains rather than surf.
Island residents will be joining in as well, offering household goods and other items for sale at the Island Dentistry lot and Strand lot.
The retail celebration – dubbed Sale-ing Day (aka Islandwide Sidewalk Sale) – is an initiative of Tybee’s Better Hometown Communities campaign. Sale-ing Day will bring visitors and their dollars to town while also generating community cohesiveness, say organizers, citing a key goal of the Hometown Communities campaign.
Residents will get table space at the Island Dentistry and Strand lots on a first come basis. A table reservation is $15 if made before Oct. 19 and $20 after that. Reservations forms are available at City Hall. For details call Judy Malins at 786-6556 or Chantel Morgan at 844-9771.
Merchants are asked to put their sale offerings on tables outside of their businesses from 10 a.m. until their closing time. Restaurants are encouraged to join in the hospitality by offering menu specials throughout the day.
Participating businesses will be listed in a Sale-ing Day brochure that will be available at City Hall two days before the event and at the resident lots and participating store locations throughout the day Oct. 26.
Money collected for the resident table reservations will go toward promoting event, organizers say.
Look for similar citywide retail promotions to continue through the year as the city continues its quest for Better Hometown Communities’ certification. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs awards the designation to communities of under 5,000 population that meet criteria for revitalizing commercial districts, strengthening their tax base, preserving historic structures and instilling a sense of community among residents.
Cities that have the certification are more competitive for grant funding for municipal planning, economic development and historic preservation, said Chantel Morton, Tybee’s Better Hometown coordinator.
In addition to visitor draws like Lights on for Tybee during the holidays and sidewalk retail promotions such as the Sale-ing Day, the Better Hometown campaign has worked to address the needs of businesses on both ends of the island. On the south end the effort helped to reach a compromise on trash carts and to establish 2-hour parking. On the north end, the effort has focused on adding crosswalks to enhance pedestrian safety.
The effort marked a milestone in March with creation of a governing board. Cullen Chambers of the Tybee Historical Society is chair. Other members are Maureen Grindstaff of Mogo's Scooters; Mel Gordon of Atlantis Inn, Judy Malins of High Tide Surf Shop; Erin Sheldon of Tybee Trees Event Center; Patricia Miller Wann of the Fine Arts Commission; and John Yarbrough of Spanky's Beachside. Dick Smith is City Council liaison and an ex-officio board member.
