The days are getting chilly, but you still have time to stock up on fruits and veggies and other great stuff, right downtown. Come on down to Pearl Market and see plenty in full bloom and harvest ready.

The 2011 season wraps up at the end of the month, so plan now to shop every Tuesday and Friday while farmers and merchants are still in Pearl and Lynn Alleys. If you tell us what you’ve enjoyed the most this year or what you would like to see in Pearl Market next season, you’ll be entered to win 30.00 in Pearl Market tokens (they spend just like cash!).

Having a hard time narrowing it down? Take a peek here to see some of your choices. And enter a comment below by Friday, October 7 for a chance to win.

To learn more, check out our vendor spotlight video.

CaffeineDaddy.com is new to Pearl Market this season. Entrepreneur Jeffrey Foulke created CaffeineDaddy.com and sells all kinds of caffeinated products. Whether you’re looking for caffeinated soap, toothpicks, lollipops, beef jerky, or more; if you can name it, CaffeineDaddy has it. Want something to slow you down? CaffeineDaddy has that too. To learn more about CaffeineDaddy.com visit their website and check out our weekly vendor spotlight video. 

To learn more about McCormick Family Concessions and to see some of their products, check out the video below.

Last week we encouraged you to Crush Cabin Fever, but a little retail therapy might help you forget how chilly it’s been lately.  The Indoor Pearl Market takes the edge off the arctic blast, and it rolls through the end of February.

Stop by our indoor location at 33 N. Third Street (at the corner of Third and Lynn) on Tuesday, January 18, drop your business card at the Market Welcome table, and you’ll be entered to win some great winter-busting goodies.  Check out our video that highlights some of the fabulous things you might win.

In addition to thanking the SID property owners, Jeffrey Wolf, Chairman of the CCSID Board of Trustees, recognized the voluntary contributions by four exempt owners whose contributions represent 18 percent of the SID’s operating revenue: the City of Columbus, the Central Ohio Transit Authority, Franklin County and the Greater Columbus Convention Center.  Wolfe reminded attendees that reauthorization of the SID is in process.  Marc Conte, Research Director, is meeting with property owners; owners representing 60 percent of the property in the SID must sign the petition to reauthorize in order to continue operations beyond 2011.  The reauthorization efforts should be completed in January. 

Executive Director Cleve Ricksecker then discussed SID financials, outlining the balance of administrative and overhead costs with programming expenses.  This year, CCSID staff was able to supplement budgeted monies with $132,000 in grants from a variety of federal, state and local sources, as well as through generous sponsorships such as those from WCBE FM and the Hyatt on Capitol Square for Pearl Market and Downtown LIVE. 

“We are very conscious of the assessments you provide, and everyone on staff works hard to deliver the best possible value,” explained Ricksecker.  “We try to spend as little on administration as possible so that your money goes into programming on the streets.”  

Clean and Safe Services 

Ricksecker then reported on the SID’s clean and safe services, noting that Downtown Columbus is the cleanest downtown in the U.S.  CCSID ambassadors work daily to remove litter, wash sidewalks, control graffiti, remove weeds, and wash newspaper racks, High Street bus shelters and other fixtures.  Seasonal services are also performed such as leaf removal, snow and ice removal and planting and maintenance of flowers during the summer months. 

In addition to maintaining a clean environment, CCSID strives to keep downtown one of the safest precincts in Columbus.  Though crime is up throughout the city during these tough economic times, the increase within the SID has been kept to a minimum. 

“Downtown is safe because of an effective program, combining communication, strict enforcement, compassion and coordination,” said Ricksecker.  “Safety does not happen by accident.” 

Communication is vital between CCSID safety ambassadors, the Columbus Division of Police, security forces within buildings and people on the street.  Lisa Defendiefer, Downtown Safety Coordinator, was commended for completing a comprehensive security network, which included linking security operations with one another, the SID and the Division of Police through regular meetings, a secure Web site and a radio network.  And Outreach Coordinator Alyson Poirier was recognized for her work providing outreach and advocacy services to people in need of help.

Marketing and Promotions 

In addition to the very important safety and cleaning services, CCSID also is charged with marketing and promoting downtown.  Ricksecker noted that the SID markets to key audiences including downtown employees, downtown and in-town residents and young professionals.  The message revolves around the idea that downtown is the place to be, is at the center of culture, arts and entertainment, and is a charming, urban location.  The message is shared through the DowntownColumbus.com Web site; companion newsletters such as Right Now Downtown and Downtown News Network; special events such as Pearl Market, the Capitol Square Kickball League and Downtown LIVE; sponsorships of events such as Independents; Day, Bike-to-Work Week and City Hop; and programming such as a the recycling program.

CCSID also works to make coming downtown a positive experience for residents, workers and visitors.  The SID offers visitor services like the mobile iCart kiosk, welcome baskets for new tenants and property owners, and a hospitality network during special events such as the Arnold Sports and Fitness Expo and the 2010 Gay Softball World Series.

 The Future of Retail

While Ricksecker noted that overall Downtown Columbus is doing well, the area most in need of improvement is retail.  While the demand for retail services is strong, there is insufficient retail supply, particularly after the demise of City Center. 

With support from the City of Columbus, CCSID hired Kacey Brankamp as a Retail Recruiter, to help draw independent operators from throughout Central Ohio to downtown.  Interest in downtown continues to grow as does the demand for retail downtown.  And CCSID will continue to help suppliers find the right space downtown to meet the demand. 

“We lost those retail chains,” added Ricksecker, “and they are not coming back.  But independent retailers will be the source of retail in the coming years.  And thanks to the efforts of entrepreneurial folks like Mark Ballard and Tom Finney of Sugardaddy’s, Don Steele of Plantain Café and Brett Ruland of Spoonful, the future of retail is looking brighter.”

Once again this year, the Capital Crossroads Market staff has put together a Marketplace where customers can shop a variety of goods from vendors such as Sweet Thing Gourmet, IKC Designs, The Olive Orchard and more.  The Marketplace  offers visitors a unique shopping experience for the holidays.  Shoppers can also continue to use their credit cards or Ohio Directions Card to make purchases, a service which was test run at last winter’s Market and utilized so successfully at the summer Market this year.

“We are excited about running a Winter Pearl Market again this year,” explained Adam Schroeder, Market Manager.  “We have a great mix of new and returning vendors and have brought in some live entertainment to add to the experience.”

Kacey Brankamp, Retail Recruiter for Capital Crossroads, is excited about the Market too.  It is her job to recruit retailers to the downtown area and the Pearl Market, both the summer and winter versions, is an outstanding tool.  The Pearl Markets serve as retail incubators for entrepreneurs interested in testing the waters downtown.  Someone with a great idea or an established business in another part of town can do a trial run downtown in a low-risk environment. 

The booth fees are minimal and include the “storefront,” so the vendor can focus solely on his/her product, customer interaction and visual display.  Being part of the Market also means their business is part of an established commercial area with its own marketing and existing customer base.

“The Pearl Market is a wonderful retail incubator for downtown,” said Brankamp.  “Incubator is the perfect word to describe the environment because vendors are clustered together which offers them support, feedback and a customer base that is naturally inclined to support new and unique products.”

In her efforts to bring new retailers downtown, Brankamp has been able to point to the success of previous Pearl Market vendors who have gone on to open permanent retail locations in the area.  These vendors who used the Markets to test and grow their businesses include Sugardaddy’s Sumptuous Sweeties, Si Senor Sandwiches and More and Take Ten Body Therapy. 

“To test the idea of expanding our retail presence with a Sugardaddy’s downtown store, we leveraged Pearl Market and Capital Crossroads to understand better the downtown customer and the potential fit of Sugardaddy’s in the downtown market, while actually selling our products to new customers,” explained Mark Ballard, co-founder and co-CEO of Sugardaddy’s.  “Moreover, once we made the decision to open a store downtown, we then were able to use the Market to advertise when and where we were opening.  Pearl Market proved to be a tremendous low-cost, low-risk solution to conduct market research, increase sales and advertise our business’ products.”

The Market also offered a landing ground for New Orleans Pralines when their location was closed with the demolition of City Center.  Chandra Noble has maintained her business and customer base through offerings in the Market.

While the closure of City Center altered the face of retail downtown, with the help of ventures like Pearl Market and the commitment of Capital Crossroads SID full-time retail recruitment program, downtown’s future will see more small and locally owned businesses, the very type that Pearl Market can help foster and support.

Numbers like these reinforce the importance of Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District’s commitment to running the Pearl Market. Our Market Manager, Adam Schroeder, has helped expand the Market’s offerings through outreach to potential farmers and vendors and has improved the Market’s accessibility and visibility.  This year, after a trial run in the 2009-10 Winter Pearl Market, guests of the Market could use credit cards or the Ohio Direction Card to purchase tokens redeemable at almost all Market vendors.  The move from cash-only purchasing made it easier for last-minute shoppers, and the ability to use the Ohio Direction Card opened the Market to a new demographic.  The program was a huge success with over $14,000 in credit card transactions and over $2,400 in Ohio Direction Card/EBT transactions.

Special events and offerings served to boost interest and attendance at the Market.  Five Tasty Tuesdays were held, during which staff prepared recipes featuring Market products and provided samples and copies of the recipes to customers. (If you missed our Tasty Tuesdays, you can still check out the recipes at downtowncolumbus.com/pearlmarket/special-events). The Ohio Proud Mobile Kitchen set up shop in the Market on two occasions.  Area chefs shopped the Market and then prepared some tasty samples for Market customers.  Other special events included the Second Annual Kids’ Day on July 27 in conjunction with COSI, which garnered media attention on all of the major network television stations.  And there was Tomato Day, Strawberry Day, Squash Day, Taste of the Summer Harvest and Taste of the Fall Harvest, all of which featured special recipes and samples of the special ingredient or ingredients of the day.  Plus customers were able to enjoy live entertainment every Market day from a variety of musical guests, which sometimes led to actual dancing in the streets.

Capital Crossroads kicked off the Friends of the Market program this summer to allow fans of the Market to help support daily operations.   Both individual and business Friends of the Market options are available for purchase, benefits of which include a listing on the Pearl Market website and a reusable canvas Pearl Market shopping bag.  By the end of the Summer Market, 30 individuals and one business had signed up to be Friends of the Market. If you are interested in more information or would like to take a peek at our Friends list, visit downtowncolumbus.com/pearlmarket/friends.

The Market received much earned media from newsprint to television all season long.  One of the highlights included Fox 28 reporter, Johnny DiLoretto, who came to the Market and aired his entire morning show live in the alley.  He promoted the Market and interviewed vendors, which was a great way to support the entrepreneurial spirit of the Market vendors.  In addition, Market promotions were enhanced through our marketing and communications channels, including Facebook, Twitter and our weekly Right Now Downtown email blast.  Each vehicle was used to share information on special events and a weekly Market Special was available to Right Now Downtown subscribers.  One of our Market vendors penned a weekly blog post called the Market Maven and we posted a number of videos showing interviews with vendors and highlighting what makes the Market unique.

Though the summer Pearl Market has wrapped up for another year, the Winter Pearl Market is just kicking off. The Winter Market will be held on Tuesdays and Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. November 2 through February 25 at 33 N. Third Street.

Grab your shopping list and head to Pearl Market.  But where did it go?  There’s no sign of vendors in Pearl Alley.  Well, keep on walking because it’s just around the corner at 33 North Third Street, right next to Lynn Alley.  Everything moved indoors for the winter, so you don’t even have to hold onto your hat (or your skirt) to keep that alley breeze from blowing you into the next county.

You’ll find some of your favorite farmers and vendors from the summer.  Plus, we’ve rounded up a few new ones too, and just in time since holiday shopping will be here faster than you can say “Ho, Ho, Ho!”  Make it easy on yourself, and come to Pearl Market to check off who’s naughty and nice on your gift-giving list.  The Market is filled with one-of-a-kind handcrafted items that are sure to please everyone.

If you aren’t convinced, check out our video of what you might find indoors at Pearl Market.  Just like always, vendors are ready to go from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays (except the Friday after Turkey Day, November 25), and if that’s not enough, we have some great live entertainment lined up to keep your toes tapping.