Charles City store planning ‘Christmas in July’ community retail event

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

A Charles City business is organizing a “Christmas in July” event to help give retail stores “a boost financially and emotionally.”

Tami Vetter, owner of The Rustic Corner, was at the Charles City Council workshop meeting Wednesday evening to discuss her plan for the event on Saturday, July 11.

“People are looking for a way to interact and shop and businesses are looking for ways to thank their customers for staying loyal and helping them survive in ways that allow social interaction while social distancing in a fun way,” Vetter said in her application to have the 400 block of North Main Street shut down on that day.

“We wanted to get food trucks out front and a wine trailer, set up tables and chairs to allow people to stay outside during shopping,” she said at the meeting. “We grouped with maybe eight other locations for the same time frame … to kind of make it a citywide event.”

Some of the other stores would have food trucks as well, she added.

The event is planned for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the Charles Theatre will open its concessions for that time, also, Vetter said.

Council member Phoebe Pittman asked how they would deal with social distancing under COVID-19 guidelines.

“We have asked all our vendors to monitor their spaces to make sure people stay farther apart,” Vetter said. “The whole idea of this is to keep people spread out and not congregate in stores. The hope is this is allowing people to still gather in an outdoor space and to choose to do the right thing.”

Police Chief Hugh Anderson said he didn’t have any issues with the idea, but wanted to make sure that the wine trailer’s liquor license included the city in its coverage because wine would be served on a city street.

Mayor Dean Andrews said, “It’s nice to have something going on. Since we don’t have big events going on, some smaller events spread out throughout the community through the summer will be good.”

Vetter said more information will be available as the event gets nearer.

The street closing request will be on the City Council agenda for action at its regular meeting Monday.

Also at the workshop meeting Wednesday evening, the council:

• Heard a request from Saint Charles Brewery for permission to increase its outside patio area to allow for more customers. The area would be fenced soon after the brewery reopens.

Co-owner Cort Sanvig said the space available for customers indoors is limited.

“We can only have about three tables now whenever we open, which we are planning to open on June 18,” he said.

Chief Anderson said, “I think the hardest part will be trying to ride herd on people to keep them from wandering around. We just need to make sure the fence does get up as soon as possible. I don’t want to see it not fenced in for very long.

• Saint Charles Brewery also submitted an application for a facade improvement grant to update siding, signage and lighting at the business. The city facade improvement program can pay up to half the cost of a project.

The company applied for half of the $12,300.98 cost of the project, or $6,150.49, but Council member Phillip Knighten pointed out that part of the project was for inside electrical work, which does not qualify for the facade grant, so the dollar amount will be revised before the council acts on it.

• Discussed increasing the penalty for people who do projects that require a city building permit without getting a permit, and increasing educational efforts to tell people when a permit is required.

• Discussed possible penalties for people who don’t live in the community who use the Shaw Avenue yard waste disposal site.