The Downtown Great Falls Association has several events lined up for the summer, and with that comes positive impacts for the small businesses downtown.
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Veronica Ronnau, the owner of Pizazz, said she looks forward to the continued growth of downtown Great Falls and the support she and her store have seen.
“Pizazz is celebrating its 40th anniversary in May; I have had it for 23 years. I've seen a lot of changes come and go through downtown and I like the changes that I’m seeing that it's bringing a lot more people down. There's a lot more activity, so it's exciting,” said Ronnau.
In recent years, downtown Great Falls has seen continuous growth with several new businesses bringing more options for shopping, dining and working.
“’People think there's nothing to do, there's nothing downtown,’ but there really is, especially if you're walking and usually, street events and special events bring people downtown to walk the streets,” said Ronnau.
The Downtown Great Falls Association coordinates various events that take place downtown throughout the summer, including parades, downtown summer jams and more.
Kellie Pierce with the Downtown Great Falls Association said, “The downtown association is tasked with promotion and marketing for downtown. So, we're looking at a full calendar of events coming up this summer, which is so fun. We're so excited.”
While events like the Independence Day parade close off the street parking, small businesses located downtown say they still get plenty of business during those times.
“I think it's good for all the businesses, even if you're not open,” said Ronnau. “They’re parking in front of your store or they're walking by your store, people realize that there is a lot to see and do downtown.”
Pierce added, “If the store is open, they can walk in and do some shopping, and they wouldn't even have known that it was there in the first place. So, it's really just exposure and creating that sense of community where people want to be and can walk around and enjoy the day, enjoy the event and just have fun.”
Among the events coming up this summer:
- Cruisin’ the Drag
- The mimosa showdown
- Downtown night markets
- Downtown summer jams
- Independence Day parade
We will update you as details (dates, locations, etc) of the events become available.
