ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — The only thing left from Thanksgiving are the leftovers, and as we head into the homestretch of the holidays, the city of Rock Island is giving local business a leg up with the Arts Alley Holiday Market.
Rock Island is welcoming family fun and pop-up shops to the downtown area leading up to Christmas. Arts Alley, created in 1994, received a $500,000 makeover earlier this year, with $267,000 coming from the Illinois Tourism Attractions grant, downtown Tax Increment Financing district funds, and American Rescue Plan dollars.
On Friday, Nov. 29, Lila Bussert filled in for her sister, the owner of Nest Modern Goods. They sell decorations for homes as well as clothing and jewelry.
"[The market is] a nice way for Nest to get out in the community and see the other small business and community members as well," Bussert said.
Crawford Company, based in Rock Island, prepared pods for the occasion by reconstructing storage containers. 10 shops will rotate in and out of them for the next four weekends.
"I feel like I'm in my own little igglo-ish thing, and it's heated," Bussert said. "People just walk in and out. [The pods are] kind of private, so it's been nice."
The winds didn't stop shoppers from making an appearance, and that's why Bussett considers the day a win for the Nest ahead of Small Business Saturday.
"We've had a good turnout today and I've met a lot of people within the community who didn't know about Nest and now do, so that's super nice," she said.
You can find the full schedule here with a list of shops and activities.