COEUR d'ALENE — The Downtown Coeur d'Alene Street Fair, like all community events, has its ups and downs.

The three-day fair is annually presented by the Coeur d'Alene Downtown Association the first weekend of August, alongside but independent of Taste of Coeur d'Alene in Coeur d'Alene City Park and Art on the Green on the North Idaho College campus.

Downtown retailers praised the positive and shared the negative, while some described it as a "mixed bag" with a more neutral perspective on its impacts.

"Typically, the Friday of Street Fair — and that was true again this year — is one of our biggest sales days of the year," Fleet Feet owner Garth Merrill said Tuesday. "Overall, the weekend is very good for us."

The fair is an opportunity to sell clearance items on the table outside, he said, while also staying busy inside the store.

Merrill said he understands how the fair could negatively impact some businesses.

"But downtown has a lot of events that aren't necessarily good for our business on any given day – just about any parade, Car d’Lane is not really our crowd," he said, "things like that often result in slower sales days, even the farmers market on Wednesdays.

"In the big picture I think it’s what helps the downtown be vibrant and active and that’s good for us," he continued. "I see it both ways."

Debbie McKeown, owner of Migliore Olive Oil, said last year was her worst year at the Street Fair; her sales were down 46%, mostly due to another vendor with a large wooden-framed booth blocking her business. This year was much better, she said, thanks to the Downtown Association staff ensuring her business could clearly be seen.

"I think the gals that run it are doing a pretty good job of it," she said.

Moving it one weekend later could be better weather-wise, McKeown said.

"I swear that weekend is the hottest of all, and I think that's hard on all the vendors," she said.

Clark's Diamond Jewelers owner Jane Clark said her family's business has seen a lot of changes as it has been in the heart of Coeur d'Alene for 118 years. She said her dad was involved with the planning when the Street Fair was first launched.

"It was an effort to bring more traffic downtown in a time when we really needed it," she said. "We've always been grateful for the community support for the downtown events."

She said Clark's didn't always participate in the Street Fair, but it has brought business out to the street in the past few years.

"It does cause a lot of challenges for our business in particular — it impacts access and parking, the increased staffing and the hours," Clark said. "Maybe it's time to re-evaluate it, the placement or the timing. The situation and the vibrancy downtown has changed since its original purpose. I'm so grateful we have such a wonderful, thriving downtown, but I think there is some negative impact. I would be hopeful the future planning can include dialogue with the local businesses and I would be happy to participate in that."

Art Spirit Gallery owner Blair Williams submitted a letter to the editor Aug. 4 titled, "When a 'fair' isn’t fair to local businesses," in which she states how the current configuration of the fair is harmful to the brick-and-mortar businesses that invest in the community year-round and that the fair is not an opportunity but an obstacle for the Art Spirit.

In an Aug. 5 interview with The Press, Williams said she has expressed concerns about the Street Fair to the Downtown Association for eight years. Her two main issues with the event are that it pulls too much of the audience from Art on the Green, "which is a 57-year-old beloved institution that deserves our respect and not to have their audience poached," she said, and that the bulk of the money from the Street Fair "goes to outside vendors who don’t have an investment in our community and aren't here for the long haul."

The Art Spirit experiences a 75% reduction in sales as well as less foot traffic during Street Fair, Williams said.

"It’s created a culture in which we have found many of the locals we talk to, our legacy clients, will often tell us they no longer come to downtown because they don’t know when there’s going to be an event or if they'll be able to find parking," Williams said.

The Art Spirit utilizes the free Street Fair booth offered by the Downtown Association to businesses in the Business Improvement District. Williams said Art Spirit has a booth every year.

"And we appreciate it," she said.

Mix It Up owner Beth Rich said her sales were up 7% over last year's Street Fair.

"Does shutting down Sherman Avenue keep some of my local customers from seeing me? Yes," she said. "But as a business owner, I feel like it's my responsibility to have a big-picture perspective and realize that not every single event is designed specifically for me."

Emily Boyd, executive director of the Downtown Association, said the association's events are not "one size fits all." She said her organization diligently works to ensure it offers a wide variety of events that are of interest to various demographics while also benefiting the unique mix of local businesses.

"Unfortunately, one event can’t achieve all of the above," Boyd said. "While some businesses may not find benefit in the event, there are many businesses that tell us they had their best weekend of the year. There are even businesses that don’t see a direct increase in sales but understand and speak to the importance of downtown being a place for the community to gather and Street Fair gives families an opportunity to come down and explore and find little trinkets or snacks."

The Downtown Association's Street Fair contract with the city of Coeur d'Alene expires this year.

City Councilman Dan Gookin, speaking on his own behalf, said he has spoken with Williams and Boyd regarding the future of the Street Fair.

"My thought is that before we approve this next year, we need to consider all the options," Gookin said. "We need to get together, have a workshop, discuss the pros and cons." 

Everything should be looked at to see where improvements can be made, he said.

Questions have been raised to potentially move the Street Fair to McEuen Park or hold it on a different weekend than the other two big events. Safety has also been a consideration in light of national and international incidents where people drive into crowds.

Gookin said he hopes productive discussions can be held when it comes time to renew the contract.

"Let’s hear from people, get some unbiased, unweighted feedback," he said. "Just because we’ve always done something one way doesn’t mean that’s the only way we should do it."

  

    People look over offerings at the Street Fair on Sherman Avenue in 2024.