Tickets sell out in 7 minutes for downtown Libertyville event
The after-holiday doldrums can be rough on small retailers but supporters of downtown Libertyville say response to the upcoming Let's Wine About Winter event is a sign of the area's vitality.
This year, 1,150 available tickets offered online by MainStreet Libertyville for $35 each sold out in 7 minutes. Some even are being snapped up on the resale market, almost like in-demand concert tickets without the mark up.
MainStreet, a not-for-profit revitalization and promotional organization, launched the idea 14 years ago to lure midwinter shoppers. Participating merchants showcase their food, products and services while serving wine and small bites. About 30 businesses will participate in the event Saturday, Feb. 16,
Tickets include a commemorative wineglass, a $10 coupon redeemable at participating merchants, exclusive discounts and a shopping bag of coupons and specials. The first few events were fairly small and took days to sell out, organizers said.
By 2010, despite not having tickets available in advance, participation grew to 750 people and the wineglasses were gone within an hour, said Pam Hume, MainStreet executive director.
Hume attributed part of the increase to social media but said a festive atmosphere and ample restaurant selection lets visitors make a day of it. New businesses want to be part of it, she added.
That's the case for Edie Boutique, which opened last fall at 514 N. Milwaukee Ave., and has locations in Naperville, Park Ridge, Glen Ellyn, Milwaukee, Lake Geneva and Valparaiso.
Manager Jan Abraham said the store has had success with other promotions in Libertyville, including Small Business Saturday, when sales tripled expectations.
"It was an unbelievable response here in Libertyville. The numbers speak for themselves," she said.
Some businesses, such as Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, 541 N. Milwaukee Ave., have been involved since the beginning.
The main difference from those days is Libertyville has become more of a restaurant destination, said co-owner Tom Lockowitz.
"Foot traffic has definitely picked up," he said. Winter can be a bit slower for business but Wine about Winter brings them out in force, he added.
Two parking decks built by the village in recent years has helped.
"That is big for downtown merchants," Lockowitz said. "The village has done more than their fair share to help businesses."
For years, village leaders worked to transform a tired area dotted with vacancies. MainStreet Libertyville, which operates independently, was established in April 1989 to help bring downtown to life and protect its vintage character.
The compact downtown area generates about 20 percent of retail-related village sales tax receipts, said Heather Rowe, Libertyville's economic development coordinator.
"The vitality you see today in our downtown was the result of years of investments in the streetscape and parking, an active Main Street organization putting together events like these, and very talented shopkeepers and restaurateurs," she said.