|
More mojo at Sopo
Arts festival promotes Blair Mill Alley
BY LAURA MCGINNIS
Braving a chilly, October breeze, about 15 local artists gathered in the Blair Mill Arts Alley in southern Silver Spring on Saturday, October 14, for an Autumn Festival organized by the South Silver Spring Merchants' Association.
Representatives from Sangrila Nepal sat by a riotous display of colorful scarves, bangles, handbags and earrings. Bhim and Cordula Dahal established Sangrila Nepal in 2004 to promote traditional Nepalese arts and handicrafts. They sell handmade clothing, jewelry and artwork that reflect the cultural and spiritual heritage of the region. Whatever they don't make personally they buy from Nepalese artisans, working with techniques that have passed through their family for generations.
photo: tooky bunnag
Brenda Smoak of Alchemy helped organize the event. |
At the alley's far end, folk artist Marian Engel brought dozens of wood-burnings in the style of Mimbres pottery. The Mimbres culture developed over 1,000 years ago in Southwest New Mexico, and their pottery is characterized by geometric patterns and natural imagery, often in blacks, reds and whites. Engel recreates this look on wood blocks, using designs inspired by the ancient artwork.
Throughout the alley, artists sat behind tables spread with paintings, pottery and handcrafted jewelry. Musicians performed on a low stage and representatives from Mayorga Coffee Roasters and Moorenko's Ice Cream Cafe drifted through the tables, dispensing samples of pumpkin chai latte and ice-cream. A thin stream of visitors wound through the alley, pausing to examine displays and chat with the artists.
The festival, which encouraged attendees to "get your mojo on at SoPo," was one of several annual events designed to draw foot traffic to South Point, the commercial district near the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Blair Mill Road.
While revamping downtown Silver Spring's central business district has attracted a swell of shoppers to the area, most of them stick to a relatively limited area. The heavy foot traffic along Ellsworth Drive rarely ventures as far as South Point, and luring customers to the area requires a special effort, local merchants claim.
"Some people might not believe this," Brenda Smoak says, laughing, "but I used to be a shy person."
Smoak, who helped organize the event, owns a South Point consignment shop called Alchemy that features work from over 120 artists from Maryland, Virginia and the District.
The revitalization of the business district has helped spur a real estate boom throughout downtown Silver Spring, and an estimated 3,000 new residential units are expected within the next two years, but turning residents into customers can be a tricky task. Since she opened Alchemy about two years ago, Smoak has found drawing customers to South Point to be one of the biggest challenges merchants in that area face.
"We're only [a few] blocks south, but it's almost like we're in Kentucky," she says.
Many of the businesses near the Blair Mill Arts Alley cater to automotive needs. They have a distinctive customer base, which differs significantly from the clientele of Alchemy and the alley, so heavy traffic for one set of stores doesn't necessarily translate into more business for the others.
The lack of casual business means that staying afloat requires a constant, conscious effort, particularly for younger businesses, like Moorenko's. So the merchants of South Point have banded together to attract more people to the area.
"We want to be part of the renaissance," says John Landis, owner of Crisfield Seafood Restaurant and president of the South Silver Spring Merchant's Association. October's Autumn Festival was one of several events the group has held to promote the artists and businesses of South Point. Blair Mill Arts Alley hosts an artists' market on the second Saturday of each month. On remaining Saturdays the market is held at the busier intersection of Wayne and Georgia Ave. In the future, Landis says, the merchants hope to hold at least two public events a year.
The October festival was more sparsely attended than the first Mojo at Sopo, in May. Event organizer Barry Soorenko estimates that the first attracted about 500 visitors. Due in part to hasty organization and more limited advertising, October's festival was much smaller, about 150-200.
Although disappointed by the Autumn Festival's low turnout, the organizers remain optimistic.
"I'd have been happy to see a bigger crowd, but our goal was just to get people out there. About half of them were first-timers, which is great. It means we're reaching new people," Soorenko says. Feedback from comment cards was encouraging, he adds. "Just about everybody said they'd come back."
Soorenko hopes to eventually transform Arts Alley into a larger entertainment area. In the meantime, businesses rely on events like Mojo to draw new customers to the area.
With more planning time, Soorenko says, the South Point merchants can organize larger events in the future.
"I think we can get more people down here next time," Soorenko said. "We'd like to make this into a regular event."
No comments have been posted to this article.
Want to post a comment to this article? Click here.
|
