Phillips Avenue to close for 'Shop & Stroll' as thousands expected in downtown Sioux Falls

Thousands of shoppers, diners and bar patrons could flood downtown Sioux Falls this weekend for the annual Crazy Days event.

And to ensure people can stay relatively spread out and adhere to social distancing guidelines brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, the road that plays the backbone of downtown is being closed to vehicle traffic to allow business to bring tables, chairs and products outside.

"We are going to open Phillips Avenue up to pedestrians and cyclists and whoever else on Saturday so people can mingle about," said Joe Batcheller, president of Downtown Sioux Falls, Inc. "We wanted to provide ample room for people to spread out and support small businesses."

Unlike most other metropolitan areas around the country, Sioux Falls hasn't had any forced business closures or patron restrictions in place since May. But Batcheller said COVID-19 fears among the public have still resulted in foot traffic downtown being down by about 20% from where it usually is at this point in a typical summer. And that's been a drag on downtown businesses.

So DTSF worked with its member businesses to hatch a plan to bolster the annual Crazy Days event and create an environment where more people might feel comfortable coming out and patronizing.

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From 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Phillips Avenue will be closed from Ninth Street to 12th Street, excluding the intersections at 10th and 11th Streets for what's being coined "Shop & Stroll" by DTSF. 

The idea of turning a roadway into a public plaza for a day came from several other communities where similar approaches are being taken to revitalize the economy.

Batcheller said while places like Tampa and West Palm Beach, Florida, as well as Sacramento, California, moved dining and shopping into outdoor areas out of necessity due to restrictive COVID-19-related restrictions, DTSF saw an opportunity to do something similar in support of its businesses.

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And that's appreciated by downtown proprietors. 

Business has been inching back to normal at Zandbroz Variety since the early days of the pandemic, but the effort to get people downtown as part of the two-day Crazy Days event should help, owner Jeff Danz said.

His store is running sales promotion throughout Crazy Days, with 20 percent off everything in the store and as much as half-off on some items.

“I’m hoping that it brings family traffic down and creates more synergy for Crazy Days, we could all use a good kick in the sales,” Danz said.

As has long been the case at Zandbroz, all shoppers will be required to wear a mask, Danz said.

DTSF will be distributing face covering for anyone who wishes to wear one. And hand sanitizing stations will be placed throughout the Shop & Stroll area.

Various outdoor activities like yard games and musical performances are planned throughout the day. 

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Batcheller said DTSF feels comfortable holding Crazy Days amid a pandemic both because of the ability to offer the outdoor space for patrons, but also because of other events its recently put on in a safe manner, like its Moonlight Movies series as Fawick Park and a block party.

"We’ve incrementally built up our ability to do these things safely," he said. "It’s important for people to understand that we're not just throwing caution to the wind here."