3 days of EVE give downtown shopkeepers a ray of hope

SALT LAKE CITY — The holiday shopping rush has past; 2010 is still a few days away.

For downtown restaurateurs and retailers, the week between Christmas and New Year's has traditionally been somewhat of a dead zone.

This year, however, downtown leaders are hoping EVE, a revamped New Year's celebration, will help draw more people — and dollars — to the capital's heart.

"Salt Lake City has done First Night for the last 16 years, and it has brought 30,000 to 40,000 people downtown," said Jason Mathis, executive director of the Downtown Alliance. "We realized last year, this isn't really doing anything to benefit downtown businesses. We're tripling the content, the size and the days."

Instead of the traditional one-night blowout, EVE will spread its myriad events over Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

"We're trying to get more foot traffic during a week that's usually slow for downtown restaurants, retailers and bars," Mathis said. "The goal for us is to really capture some of the energy Salt Lake had during the Olympics, when there were thousands of people walking around downtown, enjoying the urban environment even in the winter."

Ice skating, children's theater performances and other family-friendly events will start as early as noon each day. Comedy shows, concerts and a block party on Pierpont Avenue will take place throughout the three evenings.

A $15 wristband is good for every night and every event. Organizers hope that will keep people coming downtown all week.

Downtown merchants are hopeful EVE will live up to its expectations.

"We're definitely watching it this year with some interest," said Catherine Weller, owner of Sam Weller's Zion Bookstore on Main Street. "We're always hopeful."

At Martine, a cafe on 100 South, business can drop by as much as 25 percent during the week between Christmas and New Year's Day, manager Shaun Jacobsen said.

"We rely, especially for lunch, heavily on office traffic," Jacobsen said, "and a lot of people take the week off. (EVE) could potentially be a good thing for us."

e-mail: afalk@desnews.com