The Economic Boom of Alive
After 5
The following is a statement from Roswell Inc Executive
Director Steve Stroud. This article can be found in the Aug.
12 edition of the Roswell Neighbor.
Since Alive After 5 in Roswell began, nearly a decade ago, it
has become a staple event in the metro area. In the early
years, when many of the Canton St. businesses closed by 5 PM
on weekdays, this event offered Roswell residents the
opportunity to gather and enjoy this historic part of town
after normal business hours in a casual, walkable setting.
Those in attendance were likely families with Roswell mailing
addresses. Within the first few years, we saw a few hundred
people at each event. It was like a big block party for the
city that drew attention to some of the lesser known
restaurants and retail on Canton St.
Now, Canton St. is one of the most popular neighborhoods in
the entire Atlanta area and Alive After 5 is the hottest
ticket in town. Thousands upon thousands of people come in
from all over the city, the state and even the Southeast.
Roswell Inc conducted a survey a couple of years ago that
suggested more than half of the visitors at Alive After 5 were
from outside of the city. Now, I’m willing to bet that number
is even greater. Keep in mind that this growth occurred with
relatively little in the way of advertising. Alive After 5 has
largely been a word-of-mouth phenomenon. It didn’t take long
to realize we had hit on something really special.
Prior to Alive After 5, Canton St. had only a few restaurants
and a handful of retail shops and galleries. Successful
businesses such as The Chandlery, Raiford Gallery, Go With the
Flow and The Fickle Pickle helped to anchor the street during
the economic downturn and set a tone for the businesses that
would follow. Canton St. today boasts an ever increasing
number of independent gourmet restaurants, unique artisan
boutiques and a wide variety of fine art galleries. Lately, it
is also becoming a hub for alternative health providers such
as Gallery Spa, Chill & Body and Sacred Mother Healing Center.
In recent years, we have been able to utilize the impact of
Alive After 5 to generate traffic for Roswell businesses in
other districts. Local vendors have been able to set up tables
and distribute samples of their wares to a wider, more diverse
audience than they would be able to reach otherwise. Roswell
Inc has introduced a “Restaurant Corner” on the main part of
the street, which is now closed off to vehicle traffic during
the event, and has seen great success in bringing recognition
to Roswell restaurants that reside off of Canton St.
Participants in the restaurant corner include Taqueria
Tsunami, Slope’s, Public House, The Counter, Pure, Brickhouse
and Lucky’s. These restaurants are different concepts in
different parts of town. When visitors see them and try their
food at Alive After 5, they realize that the restaurant scene
extends way beyond the perimeter and help Roswell continue to
make a name for itself as one of the foodie capitals of the
Southeast.
As the crowds at Alive After 5 continued to grow
exponentially, community leaders recognized the need to add an
additional venue. Thus, Alive at the Square was created to
help maintain balance.
“Alive at the Square has always been popular and well
attended,” event manager Tom LaDow said. “Because of the
neighborhood demographics and physical characteristics of the
Square, ‘Alive at the Square‘ has always had a very strong
appeal to families with younger children. Entertainment,
sponsors, vendors and merchants are oriented toward the young
family market. In addition to the popular amenities (food
trucks, bands, kids games, face painting, etc) we have added
children’s theater, dance exhibitions, photo booths,
charitable donations, and more games and food.”
The event at the square has been an invaluable addition that
allows families with young kids to enjoy the event without
having to worry about the somewhat more adult atmosphere among
the bars on Canton St. Roswell Inc sponsors two trolleys that
circulate between Canton St., the Square, City Hall and other
parking lots in the area so that everyone can get the full
experience without having to spend too much time walking. We
have also teamed up with American Family Care to provide a
First Aid Station to help keep everyone safe and well.
From an economic development standpoint, Alive After 5 has
been a tremendous asset. It provides good, organic PR for
Roswell businesses and encourages visitors to stay and spend
money. Many of them come back, even outside of the event, to
see what else Roswell has to offer. Major local companies such
as GM, Yardi, TechniPower and AirWatch use the event as a
recruiting tool for new employees. The energy of it helps to
draw talent to the area. The Fulton County Development
Authority even used footage of an Alive After 5 event to
represent economic development in Roswell.
An event like Alive After 5 serves to showcase the Roswell
culture as it is today. We celebrate our historic roots and we
enjoy the charm of our suburban lifestyle. Yet, we keep both
eyes on the future when it comes to supporting our business
community and promoting innovation in economic development. We
are a forward thinking community with abundant opportunity and
this event has helped us put the word out to the rest of the
state and beyond.