Main Street Sidewalk Sale highlights downtown business owners, local vendors

Downtown Johnson City businesses brought their stores to the street Saturday morning for the second Main Street Days Sidewalk Sale. The event shut down Main Street, filling the two-lane road with hundreds of locals looking to support small businesses. Sarah DelBene, special events manager for the City of Johnson City, said based on the foot traffic of the event, she expected to see an increase in attendance from last year's estimated 7,000 attendees. The event gave downtown business owners a chance to sell merchandise that might not be selling as fast during the slow season, she said, as well as bring new customers in and interact with the broader community. "Giving them the opportunity to have some extra sales in a slow period is huge, and I think the community is always looking forward to doing something," she said. "So starting a Labor Day weekend off with a Saturday morning downtown is a great opportunity for everyone." Some Apparel, located at 315 E. Main St., set up a booth outside its store with seasonal and clearance items. Kevin Sommers, owner of the clothing store, moved his business to its Main Street location last year. The event began at 8 a.m. and brought a sale every 20 minutes, Sommers said. He added that he plans to continue participating in any future sidewalk sales hosted by Connect Downtown Johnson City. The event not only spotlighted downtown businesses, but also local vendors and artists. Zoey Burgner, owner of Stitched by Zip, nearly sold out her patchwork apparel two hours before the sale ended. The event Saturday was a first for Burgner, who sells her merchandise on social media. "Everyone said that they saw me on Instagram, which is really cool," she said, adding that the feedback she received has been overwhelmingly positive. Burgner said she hopes to vendor at more events in the future, including the next Main Street Days in October. Musicians Devi Alexander and Roxanne McDaniel sat on a raised garden bed playing bluegrass music and interacting with passersby in between tunes. Both are local to Johnson City. Alexander, who plays the bodhran, and McDaniel, who plays the banjammer, form their band, Bratfolk. The two were only driving through downtown when they saw the crowd of people and decided to stop and play. DelBene said the sidewalk sale could be added to Main Street Days' annual docket due to the positive feedback from both community and business owners.