Bella Viva owner Kellen McBain with Ann Palmer , and John Russell discussing an event . rally will be . It ’ s great for the restaurant owners , and it ’ s an opportunity for people in the community to enjoy good food and mingle with each other .”
Walton has helped new businesses such as Gilroy Painting and Printing to get established downtown . He has also helped tenants in his building next to Old City Hall to utilize their display windows more effectively to draw more foot traffic into their shops .
“ New business owners sometimes ask us to recommend local experts they can connect with for website design , accounting and other professional services . We even helped one vendor create bi-lingual menus and order forms to better serve all of their patrons .”
Recently , RRDG attracted David Almeida and Maureen Callier to its ranks . Almeida has taken on the role of merchant relations for RRDG .
“ David makes a point of meeting with the downtown businesses on an ongoing basis ,” Russell said , “ to keep them informed and get their feedback .”
An interior designer by trade , Callier has joined the effort with an eye toward coordinating events . The organization ’ s website highlights its mission and upcoming events and aims to provide an online hub for the downtown . Local merchants are invited to contribute web links and information about their businesses to be included on the RRDG website . Online visitors who post comments and questions receive a personal response from Russell , who goes by the title of “ Rally Rouser .”
“ Based on feedback , we ’ re also putting together a more extensive calendar on the site ,” Russell said . “ Our idea is to list local and regional events as well as local and national holidays .”
RRDG volunteered to augment the city ’ s annual tree lighting event by hosting a Holiday Faire with crafts and gifts . Russell and fellow volunteers are also working with local wineries .
“ During the last wine stroll , which was put on by the Gilroy Downtown Business Association , we invited merchants to sell goods in ‘ pop-up shops ’ that could be set up quickly without any red tape or fees ,” Russell said . “ These temporary pop-ups were placed around empty storefronts , which really enhanced the experience of the event for people strolling along the downtown streets .” Following up on an idea proposed by Walton , RRDG put up a comment board during the wine stroll so passersby could share their memories and dreams for downtown Gilroy .
Russell noted the cooperative spirit and hospitality of many of the local merchants .
Bella Viva wine bar owner Kellen
McBain has a special arrangement with Garlic City Café where the Café will deliver full restaurant service to patrons at Bella Viva . The Milias Restaurant connects with local artists and features live music several nights a week . Amaretto Boutique sells cosmopolitan quality furniture , clothing and accessories and also offers packaged events such as pre-event makeup sessions for weddings and other special occasions .
“ These are just a few of the many great reasons to spend time downtown and we hope there will be many more to come ,” Russell added .
“ We focus on downtown Gilroy , so we will not be adding regional events to the calendar unless a downtown event is planned in conjunction with a regional event . For example , in 2013 we promoted the wineries ’ fall Passport Weekend while encouraging participants to start and end their tours downtown for food and entertainment .”
Rally Round Downtown welcomes anyone with ideas , resources and energy to get involved and help keep the grass roots effort growing . Learn more at the website , rallyrounddowntowngilroy . com .
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