Art Walk

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This is a very successful promotion for the downtown businesses in our home town, Ames, Iowa. It started a few years ago with a few downtown businesses getting together and having an 'open house'. Each retail store that participated allowed a local artist, craftsman, or musician to set up a table in their store. The artists are allowed to sell their work. Most stores serve some type of food or beverage.

How to use this idea in your business...

This promotion is not a needlework promotion. It is a general promotion to get customers to visit stores. The people who are most interested in this type of event tend to be women with an artistic and creative personality--sounds like your target market.

Participating in general promotions like this is valuable because if is a way to get people into your store that would not otherwise come in. Even if you do not convert them into customers, they may have a friend or relative that they will tell about your store.

The promotion can start small. Three or four business could easily get it started. The stores that sell products of an creative nature would be the most anxious to work with you to get the event started. Talk stores that sell crafts, hobby, music, art supplies, sewing, etc.  Advertising the event could be as simple as a signs on the doors of the participating businesses.

You could also start it by yourself by pairing it with an existing event. For example, maybe the businesses in your area have a Christmas open house or other seasonal event. If they do, all you need to do is invite an artist or musician to your store that day.