The Saluda Business Association (SBA) puts on the festival each year. SBA President Todd Kirby said he was happy to see full streets.
“We were very impressed with the turnout – it was definitely better than the year before,” Kirby said. “I had the opportunity to do a lot of walking around and it did seem like all of the businesses were very busy – it seemed the business owners were quite pleased.”
Kirby said changing the layout to wind farther along Main Street instead of heading up Greenville Street made all the difference. Kirby said organizers made the change so older citizens could better maneuver through all of the booths and so each business along Main Street might see more foot traffic.
Joni’s Artisanal Wine and Beer, located next door to Wildflour Bakery, took advantage of the foot traffic by offering a wine tasting in their parking lot.
“It was a great way to start the season,” said owner Joni Mahaffey-Rauschenbach. “We’re not considered part of the main historic section but we had a really good flow through our business because of the way they organized the booths this year.”
She said a group of about 40 stayed at The Saluda Inn for the event and the Saluda Wine Cellar was really hopping that night as well.
Kirby said he thinks the SBA’s effort to attract more artists and craftspeople also boosted attendance. SBA volunteers had hoped to attract 60 artists and craftspeople this year and actually drew more than 80 vendors. Welsh said reducing the application fee allowed more artists to participate. The event was also free for attendees.
Kirby said the strong music lineup also helped attendance with headliners The Honeycutters drawing a big crowd.
Volunteer coordinators Denise Kennedy and Libby French worked with more than 50 volunteers who helped with Friday setup and various needs on Saturday.