Jul 12, 2010

Flossmoor to allow more sidewalk shoppingBy John K. RyanSouthtownStar.com

IL – It’s a common summer sight on the streets of many communities.

Racks of clothes, piles of books, household items, toys and anything else found inside stores are moved onto sidewalks outside the shops.

Having merchandise on sidewalks gives businesses certain advantages to lure in customers.

“It catches people’s eye and brings them to your door,” said Rose Demko, owner of Her Closet, a boutique in downtown Flossmoor. “Once they get in, they see what other items we offer.”

Nancy Schreiber, owner of The Villager Card and Gift Shop, a few doors down from Her Closet, said she puts out items that let people know it is more than a card store.

“We used to be a Hallmark store, and I think many think we still are,” Schreiber said. “But we’ve expanded to jewelry, baby items and much more. We mostly put out sale items to attract people.”

Flossmoor does not officially allow such use of public sidewalks but is planning to soon, at least in the downtown area.

Last week, trustees directed the village attorney to prepare rules for using public sidewalks in the downtown area for merchants to display and sell goods from April 15 to Oct. 15.

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