At Downtown Evanston’s annual Spring Sip & Stroll event Thursday, residents shopped 19 local businesses, enjoying sales and beverages while they strolled.
Attendees started their stroll at Creative Coworking on Davis Street, where they checked in and received a Downtown Evanston drawstring bag.
Tickets cost $10, and half of the proceeds will go to Black Women of Evanston, a 501(c)(3) organization that aims to empower Black women through service, community and self-care. The McGaw YMCA also offered free childcare while parents perused various boutiques, restaurants and galleries.
Evanston resident Kenisha Walker took part in the stroll, visiting Wheel and Sprocket, a Davis Street bike store that offered a tropical rum cocktail. Walker said the event was an opportunity to discover more about Evanston and connect with other residents.
“We’ve seen a lot of people that we know here and there, and even people that we don’t know, everyone’s just so friendly,” Walker said. “It’s nice to build community this way and also get to know the businesses around, places that you might not ever go to just because you don’t have a reason to.”
Walker also visited One River School Evanston, which offers studio art and digital design programming for both kids and adults. The school served sangria and offered an art activity in which participants dipped slices of fruit in paint, laid them on canvases and pressed them to make prints.
One River School Evanston Director Heather Kipper noted how important Downtown Evanston is to ensuring the success of the city’s small businesses.
“We’re a small business, so (the) Downtown Evanston association is a wonderful advocate for our business, and they plan events like this so that we can have some fresh faces come through our door,” Kipper said. “Right now, our student show is hanging on the wall, so it’s a really great opportunity for our community to see our students’ artwork as well, and then also do an art activity.”
Downtown Evanston Executive Director Andy Vick greeted guests as they arrived at Creative Coworking. He highlighted the importance of hosting community events that support local businesses and get residents shopping and chatting.
He said about 90 people registered before the stroll started, and that roughly 20 walk-in customers registered at the event.
Vick said he hopes the stroll will help residents build a relationship with local businesses and their employees.
“We as an organization have a lot of programming that is launching about now as the weather gets warmer,” Vick said. “We’re going to be doing everything from bike rides to concert series to a new car show this year, so we’re just trying to come up with all kinds of interesting ways to entice people to come downtown.”
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