Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Gaslight District merchants ask Jeffersontown council for early planning help, propose annual Chili Crawl in October
Summary
A representative of Gaslight District merchants told the council the business group has organized collaborative marketing, launched a map and social accounts, and penciled in an October Chili Crawl; the group asked to be included early in city planning and event coordination.
Paula Henson, owner of Above the Dirt Garden Shop and The Honey Depot, told the Jeffersontown City Council that a group of Gaslight District merchants has organized to coordinate marketing and events and asked the city to include the group in planning for downtown activities. Henson said the merchants have created a map and joint social-media accounts and are planning a recurring Chili Crawl in October to fill an event gap between larger festivals.
"We're a group of retail and restaurant in the Gaslight District…we are a group of businesses getting together, in a collaborative way to put together our marketing efforts and strategically coordinate events," Henson said. She said five or six businesses have already signed on to the Chili Crawl and that the group has a penciled-in date of “maybe October 11-ish.” Henson asked council members to invite merchants into city planning and committees before events scale up so the businesses can coordinate with city-sponsored activities.
Henson listed examples of recent collaboration among merchants — receipt swaps, cross-promotions and a coordinated teacher-appreciation visit — and urged the city to help align events such as the farmer’s market, night market, the new amphitheater schedule and Gaslight Festival. City leaders responded positively and encouraged the group to contact staff to join planning meetings.
The proposal is intended to boost foot traffic and sales in downtown Jeffersontown by creating complementary events rather than competing ones. Henson said the merchants are already using coordinated social media and handed out promotional materials at recent events.
