Our 3rd Annual Dickens Days Stroll was a hit!  Our downtown businesses were transformed into quaint, Victorian shoppes while Dickens’ characters joined shoppers strolling through the downtown.  Business owners were thrilled with the turnout!  Along with the festive theme, there were also crafts and activities for friends and families to partake in.  It was wonderful to see so many people come out to participate the event!  We can’t wait to see what is to come for next year’s Dickens Days Stroll!

WINNER OF THE $100 WBID GIFT CERTIFICATE WAS:  SUE ROBERTS of Westfield

Thank you to all of the participating residents, shoppers, and businesses.

If you have an additional pictures of the event, please feel free to e-mail them to us or share them on our Facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Westfield-Business-Improvement-District/199269456761897

Check out the article below for more coverage on the Dickens Day Village Stroll!

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/12/post_260.html

Thank you to all those who came out for our Thursday Night Shopping and Grand Reopening event!  In spirits of the Holiday Season, many of our businesses in Downtown Westfield have extended their hours on Thursday nights until 8:00 p.m. to encourage shopping.  Shoppers were able to indulge with some tasty treats offered by some of the business owners.  Even Santa and Mrs. Claus came out for the event!  In addition to this event, we also wanted to highlight our first round of Best Retail Practices’ grant recipients and how much they have improved!  Remember “Thursday Night shopping continues until Christmas!”

Grant Recipients include:

- A Cut Above the Rest

- Performance Music

- George’s Jewelers

- Westfield Yarn and Thread

- Gaslight Gallery

- My Favorite Place

- Optimum Health

- The Hairport

Join us this Saturday, December 3rd for our Annual Dickens Day Village Stroll & Fezziwigg’s Holiday Faire!  Many of the downtown merchants will be offering special discounts and sales along with delicious treats.  Don’t miss your chance to win the WBID raffle!  Enjoy a stroll in and around the downtown, pick up a map of participating businesses and have your  map stamped.  For every 5 merchants you visit, you will get a chance to win the WBID Raffle Basket which includes a $100.00 WBID gift certificate!  click here for the official Stroll Map 2011.

The YMCA will be hosting “Fezziwig’s Holiday Faire” with over 40 “juried” crafters and a bake sale.

Below is a list of participating businesses in the stroll downtown:

Flowers by Webster/SimplySkin by Angela Grace
First Congregational Church
The Gaslight Gallery
World Peace & Bead Emporium
The Grape Crusher
Fast Feet
My Favorite Place
Marie Flahive Art Studio
The Seat Weaver
The Hairport
Miss Sweets
Central Baptist Church
WSU Downtown Art Gallery
VIVID Hair Salon & Spa
Truly Mine Card Shop
George’s Jewelers
Mina’s Wine & Spirits
Mama Cakes
Ezra’s Mercantile
New Horizon Bike Shop
Pilgrim Candle
Mayflowers

Enjoy a delicious Dickens dinner on Thursday, December 15th at the School Street Bistro located on 29 School Street. Dinner begins at 7 p.m. and  in between courses you will be entertained with a performance of “A Christmas Carol”.

So come in for a dinner and a show!

Tickets must be purchased in advance, $30 for adults and $15 for children.

For reservations, please call: 562-8700

Grand Re-Openings!  Join us as we celebrate the grand re-openings of the first eight downtown businesses to receive the Best Retail Practices grants.  A special evening of shopping will be held on Thursday, Dec. 1st, 2011 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.  Stop in and see their new look!

Here is a listing of the businesses to visit:

Westfield Yarn & Thread
The Gaslight Gallery, 24 Elm Street

A Cut Above the Rest, 37 Elm Street
My Favorite Place, 48 Elm Street
George’s Jewelers, 67 Elm Street
Optimum Health, 120 Elm Street, (closed due to special presentation, see our District Events page)
Performance Music, 126 Elm Street
The Hairport, 148 Elm Street

Come by and see how they have improved their stores and see the new merchandise!

For more information, please contact Amy Tosi, Music Director at

atosi@westfieldymca.org or ext. 308.

In spirits of the Holiday Season, many retailers and merchants in the Downtown Westfield area have agreed to extend their hours until

8:00 p.m. on Thursdays!!

Participating merchants include:

check back soon for additional businesses!!

The Westfield Business Improvement District, Inc. (WBID), is pleased to announce the return of  Best Retail Practices Program(BRP), this initiative has been put in place to assist small retailers, restaurants and storefront service businesses with professional advice and grant money in the areas of store and restaurant design, window and merchandise displays, signage, and cost-effective marketing tips.   Last spring (8) downtown businesses were awarded BRP grants for up to $1,900 each which were used to make interior and/or exterior improvements to their storefronts.  Already these improvements have produced positive results in increasing their business.

The Best Retail Practices is a three-part program beginning with a 2 ½ hour workshop and presentation using visual examples of best retail practices. The workshop will be held in one of downtown’s “Prime Available” Commercial Spaces located at 170 Elm Street on Thursday, October 6th, 2011 at 7:45 am. Coffee and light fare will be served.  Following the workshop, attendees may apply to be one of the selected businesses to receive an individual in-store consultation, which includes a store assessment and a written report with recommendations for improvements. The third part will provide grants of up to $1,900  for (6) businesses in the downtown core district  who meet eligibility requirements and commit to making improvements as identified in the Consultant’s report. Attendance to the workshop is required to qualify for the grant.

The WBID has hired Christine Moynihan, Principal of Retail Visioning to undertake the Program. Ms. Moynihan has conducted similar work in Cambridge, Lowell, Lawrence, and Somerville, MA and Nashua, NH working with well over 300 downtown retailers.

To register for this FREE workshop contact Patti at the WBID at (413) 572-1260 or e-mail patti@thedistrictwestfield.com, space is limited so call now!

The Program was established as part of the revitalization effort in the downtown area and made possible through a grant awarded to the WBID by the City of Westfield’s Community Development Block Grant as part of the Mayor’s commitment to support small business and economic development in the downtown.