EASTON, Pa. (WLVT) - The holiday spirit is sweeping over downtown Easton, and for the first time, the city is setting up a Winter Village for the community while supporting local business.
The Winter Village is made possible in part through CARES Act funding allocated to the city from Northampton County. The city used CARES Act funds to help restaurants with outdoor dining earlier this year, and now, Phase 2 of the city’s Business Recovery Program is all about local retail.
"Between Thanksgiving and New Year's is the busiest season for a retailer. Those six weeks mean a lot to their bottom line," said Easton mayor Sal Panto, Jr. "We need to get people down here to shop locally."
For business owners like Heart Beet Studios' Emma Rimi, the timing is critical.
"This is where we make our most income -- November, December, even October is a crucial month," she said, "so, it's everything for businesses."
Rimi makes ceramics and sells her work locally, including at the Easton farmers market. She’ll be one of several retailers in 17 huts downtown.
"It has been a roller coaster [this year]," she said. "It's been pretty rough, but I've been staying positive. Actually, I have been realizing that people are wanting to support local businesses like myself. So, that's been really encouraging, and this is really encouraging as well."
One of the biggest attractions at the Winter Village is a 40-by-60 foot synthetic skating rink on Northampton Street. Panto said it's another way to bring people to Easton for the holidays.
"We don't want it to be like Christkindlmarkt in Bethlehem, because they have a really unique situation. This is only for Easton businesses. We're not bringing any crafters in or anything, and we're going to do it every year," he said. "Everybody my age remembers downtowns. We want to bring that back."
As the city gets the village ready, local businesses are hoping it salvages a rough year financially.
"[We're] trying to mitigate some of the effects that COVID has had over the last nine months or so and trying to finish the year strong, but also look towards the future and kind of set some precedent for what we could do in 2021 and beyond," said Jared Mast, executive director of the Greater Easton Development Partnership (GEDP), which is managing the Winter Village.
Mast said shopping local means even more this year, and the village is an exciting way to help.
"I think it represents a really cool team effort to try and do something new and responsive to deal with some of the negative effects of the pandemic," he said.
"A lot of people in this town, whatever business they have, they're passionate about that. That's their life. That's their soul," Rimi said. "So, it's important to kind of recognize that and support them."
Easton's Winter Village opens Black Friday at noon and runs through December 31. Hours are Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 8 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m.
Skating time slots are noon, 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m., and 6:30 p.m. Admission is free for Easton residents and $5 for non-city residents. To purchase timed tickets, click HERE.