Evanston residents strolled in and out of businesses downtown, sipping everything from champagne to milkshakes at Downtown Evanston’s annual Sip + Stroll event Thursday evening.
The event invited community members to explore the Downtown Evanston business district, offering beverages, snacks and special sales.
Attendance was free, but $10 donations were encouraged to benefit Kitchen to Community, a culinary education nonprofit for youth. From 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., attendees browsed businesses from bookstores to art galleries to restaurants.
For BODYBAR Pilates owner Shannon Handy, the event provided residents with the opportunity to learn more about the businesses in their community. Handy said her pilates studio, at 710 Church St., is celebrating its two-year anniversary this month, so it felt like a special time to participate and celebrate with the community.
“It’s a really nice way to do outreach to the local community, and also, from a business perspective, to get the local community to have awareness on the businesses as well,” she said.
Handy said she wanted her pilates studio to serve a healthier beverage option, offering LaCroix Sparkling Water in addition to a retail sale for athletic wear and membership discounts.
Some businesses return to Sip + Stroll year after year, including Artem Pop Up Gallery at 1627 Sherman Ave., according to its co-owner Sarita Kamat.
Kamat said some years are quieter than others, though more community members tend to come through toward the end of the evening.
Attendees checked in for the event at Bella Otér, a lingerie and loungewear boutique at 1017 Davis St., and at Life Time gym at 1618 Sherman Ave., across the street from Kamat’s gallery.
Downtown Evanston Executive Director Andy Vick handed out maps of participating businesses at Life Time before community members embarked on their self-guided strolls.
Holding orange maps and color-changing cups, Evanston residents Nicole Christoffel and Jody Koizumi approached Artem Pop Up Gallery, their second stop of the night. They paused outside the shop’s entrance, peering at art pieces through the glass.
Although Koizumi has never attended Sip + Stroll before and it has been a few years since Christoffel has done so herself, Koizumi said the two enjoyed drinking and chatting, and she appreciated that she had learned more about her city when she checked in at Life Time.
“I never knew that gym was there. I was like, ‘What is that?’” she said. “So (I’m) discovering something new about my city.”
Christoffel added that she had never been into Artem Pop Up Gallery, though after peering inside, she said she knew the shop sold items she would love.
The pair was excited to visit Bella Otér – Christoffel for the complimentary bamboo underwear and Koizumi for the French-inspired food.
As the evening continued, more community members filled the streets, carrying paper bags with purchased items and juggling gifted cups and maps.
Emerging businesses were also featured at the event, such as photographer Michelle Russ’ Hilarious Hound, a pet photography business. Russ, who said it was her first time participating in Sip + Stroll, hosted a booth displaying photographs of dogs in fair trade retailer Gather: Consciously Curated, located at 1509 Chicago Ave.
As Russ plans to open her own studio in Evanston, she said she appreciated the community-based event.
“It’s been good to meet people, meet other businesses and hear what they have to do,” she said.
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