The first ever Moonlight Market event was held last night on Gay Street in Downtown Columbus, and despite chilly weather, attendees turned out to stroll, shop, drink, dine and celebrate the evening under the stars. This new monthly retail bazaar takes place every Second Saturday and features special late night hours for local brick-and-mortar businesses as well many additional street vendors that line the sidewalks.
Mayor Michael B. Coleman and Councilmember Priscilla Tyson helped to kick off the first Moonlight Market during a quick press event, then took to the street themselves to partake in the festivities. The event was produced by members of the Gay Street District (the area’s neighborhood association) as a way to draw attention to this unique urban destination, and to support local businesses through increased retail sales.
“Last night’s event surpassed my wildest dreams for how busy a little 208 square foot store could get and how many people would wait to get inside,” said Robert Grimmett, Founder of Robert Mason, the pop-up office supply boutique shop located inside Sugardaddy’s on Gay Street. “We experienced lines out the door for five hours, doubled our highest grossing day to date, and sold completely out of several items. We’re spending Sunday re-merchandising and finding out-of-stock items.”
Similar scenes could be found along Gay Street all night as coffee fans formed lines at Cafe Brioso, a steady flow of shoppers poured in and out of the Zeroz wallet shop, and late night diners were still ordering food at 11pm at J. Gumbo’s.
“We expected 300 Moonlight Market attendees in our store for the evening and blew past that number by 8pm,” said Mark Ballard, Co-Founder of Sugardaddy’s. “By end of the night, more than 675 customers visited and we sold out of product by 9:30pm. We’re panning to double product numbers for the next Moonlight Market.”
The next Moonlight Market takes place on Saturday, May 11th from 6pm to 11pm. CLICK HERE for more discussion on the event series, or visit www.moonlightmarketcolumbus.com for more information.
Photos by Logan Miller Photography.
