VICKSBURG, Mich. — Less than a decade after storefronts were sitting empty in downtown Vicksburg, the small Kalamazoo County village is now celebrating a growing local economy, according to officials.
Village officials on Monday announced the latest data from its “Burg Days of Summer,” a weekly event that features live music, games, food trucks, art, and activities for families.
Burg Days is free to attend, but Village Manager Jim Mallery said it has brought in thousands of dollars, and people, every week to downtown Vicksburg.
“We’ve had as much as 4,500 people,” said Mallery, who helped launch Burg Days three years ago.
Mallery said the idea was inspired by a similar Wednesday-night event series held in Holland, Michigan. “We felt we could use their model to fit the village of Vicksburg.”
“We want people to come to Vicksburg out of sheer curiosity of what’s going on,” Mallery said. “To experience what we have to offer…We want people to be friends, not just neighbors.”
Through a partnership with Discover Kalamazoo, this year the village tracked where attendees were visiting from, and discovered more than half came in for Burg Days from the surrounding area.
“3,000 people from outside of Vicksburg are coming into our town, visiting each Wednesday,” Mallery said. “Each of our retail stores, our restaurants, pubs, bars and taverns all have an incredible increase, 40-50%…on Wednesdays.”
According to Mallery, the economic impact does not end midweek.
“We’re watching our Friday and Saturday activities uptick anywhere from seven to eight percent,” Mallery added. “We believe as those people are exposed to town, they’re coming back then with their friends and enjoying, again the retail establishment, the fine dining opportunities we have.”
The Hideaway, a popular downtown bar and restaurant, has even cracked the top 10 for liquor sales in Kalamazoo County, according to Mallery, which is “a good reflection of how many people are coming to Vicksburg and enjoying what we have to offer.”
Todd Glenn, owner of Jaspare’s Pizza, which has been in Vicksburg for nearly 50 years, said the business has been feeling the benefit.
“For the food and beverage businesses, it’s a good 30-40% increase,” Glenn said. “But, I know I’ve talked to other business owners that are non-beverage and food, and they’re seeing upticks somewhere in the 20% range. And my feeling is it’s not just Burg Days.”
Glenn said the success has been several years in the making, with investments being made into the community, including expanded sidewalks, public seating, historic building restorations, and ongoing downtown revitalization efforts, all contributing toward the village’s new success.
During Burg Days, a representative from Vicksburg Arts said the community hosts projects to give residents, including kids, a chance to leave their mark on the village.
“We’ve got a little bit of room for people to do their own thing,” said Syd Bastos from Vicksburg Arts, pointing to colorful garden lampposts near Oswalt Park downtown. “We’ve got these placed around the downtown village. We’ve got seven different locations for people to come and see where’s their little piece that they did during Burg Days.”
The village plans to keep the momentum going, according to Mallery, already looking forward to its fourth year.
“We have a $35,000 goal to fundraise to pay for the bands, pay for the cultural arts, the artists, the opportunity for kids to participate,” Mallery said.
In the meantime, “Christmas in the Burg” is being planned for Dec. 13, followed by the IceBurg festival in February and a village birthday celebration in May.
As for Jaspare’s Pizza owner, Glenn, the more events, the better.
“People that have moved to town freshly, or have been here six months to a year, but not necessarily been downtown might be surprised,” he said. “A lot of things in town that are new in the last five to 10 years.”
Glenn told News Channel 3 he even has a pitch for village leaders: Burg Days of Winter.
“I think there’s a way to do a couple of these over the winter and not make us wait all year until next summer,” Glenn said.
