Multimedia: Businesses discuss Artscape’s impact
July 17, 2008
There is no doubt that Artscape provides an opportunity for increased revenue for some local businesses. With the extension of the festival this year to the 1700 block of N. Charles St., more businesses could reap the benefits of the large crowds on hand. Most businesspeople we spoke to there are optimistic about their involvement this year.
Not everyone is looking forward to Artscape, though. While the influx of people may help some businesses, others may find their regular patrons are avoiding the jam-packed area.
And the price of Artscape is not just economic. At the Sales Gallery, we spoke with Ricki Rutley, a longtime resident of Bolton Hill. Although she acknowledges the festival’s positive impact on Baltimore, she and her neighbors have been inconvenienced in the past. She’s had her tires slashed and her car keyed. She said that visitors cram into the parking spaces in Bolton Hill, knowing full well that they will be ticketed. People in her community, she says, even plan a vacation during the stretch of Artscape.
Personally, we think that what Artscape has to offer is worth the hectic, headache-inducing weekend. Annie Gray of Sofi’s Crepes seemed to agree when she told us, “It’s going to be crazy. We’re going to be working nonstop. We’re really looking forward to it. It’s…going to bring a lot of people in and a lot of newcomers who haven’t been here before.”
Watch the videos below to see what some business owners had to say.
RICHARD SIMON and QUINN STRUKE
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