SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — The Downtown Summerside Sidewalk Sale has been a staple of the city’s summer schedule for decades, and thanks to the efforts two long-time local businesswomen, it will continue in 2019.
Downtown Summerside Inc., which had been organizing the sale, decided this year step away from the event in order to focus its efforts elsewhere.
When Carol Peters and Norma Profit-McNeill heard about that decision, they offered to take over.
Peters owns Sheen’s for Shoes and Profit-McNeill owns The Tickle Trunk and Edge 251, both on Water Street in the downtown core.
“We just feel that there is too much value (there) to let something like that go,” said Peters.
“We couldn’t let it go,” added Profit-McNeill. “It’s like the highlight of our summer.”
Downtown Summerside Inc. is encouraged by the long-time business owners who were willing to step up, said Lydia Potter, executive director of that organization.
Profit-McNeill and Peters’s willingness to shoulder that burden means Downtown Summerside will be able to continue shifting its focus towards creating ambiance and environment in the downtown, rather than organizing specific events, she said.
“If we keep doing the same thing with our money year over year, we’re not going to see any change in what we have. So, I think it’s great if other organizations can take on the event role, then we can build infrastructure to make it enticing to have those events.”
Traditionally held over two days coinciding with the Summerside Lobster Carnival, the sidewalk sale attracts local entertainers, artisans and food vendors. A portion of Water Street in the downtown core is closed for those two days.
The event does double duty of getting more people into the downtown and giving the local businesses a boost in sales.
Profit-McNeill and Peters are hoping to continue that tradition and build on the street festival foundation of the sidewalk sale. But to do that they are looking for volunteers to help with the event, vendors looking to display there, artists willing to perform and a number of other areas.
Anyone interested in lending them a hand can drop by either of their shops on Water Street or send them an email at [email protected] (Peters) and [email protected] (Profit-McNeill).
The event, which will now be known as the Summerside Downtown Sidewalk Sale, will run July 11-12.
