Business News - December 3

December has arrived with cold weather. 🥶 I guess that means we’ll have to bundle up for Dickens on Friday. Luckily, our Holiday Gift Guide offers several options for staying warm. Take a moment to shop the guide.

Today’s Top Three:

• A new business recently opened downtown. Here’s a hint: those with green thumbs will love it.

• Delta Dental Dickens of a Christmas kicks off this Friday. Don’t forget to review street closures.

• Today is Giving Tuesday. Please consider supporting our Downtown Ambassador Program.

Keep reading to stay informed!  

- Joya Garris, Community Engagement and Communications Manager

Stay Informed

New Business Alert: A New Leaf 🪴 

We’re Lighting Up Downtown 💡 for Christmas

The first night of Delta Dental Dickens of a Christmas kicks off with the City of Roanoke Christmas Tree Lighting on Friday, December 6th. The ceremony begins at 5:30pm with the tree lighting at 6:20pm and will include live stage performances. Join us at the Radford University Carilion stage on Salem Avenue in the Plaza behind the Market Building to watch the magical moment when the tree lights up!

Read our Official Dickens Guide

We created a beautiful insert for Dickens in The Roanoke Times. The insert includes details about performances (singing and dancing), entertainers (fire performers, sword swallowers, balloon artists, etc.), which businesses are open late, and general event information.

Please let us know if you would like a stack of inserts to hand out at your business!

Review Street Closures

View the street closures for all three nights.

The Holiday Gift Guide Has Arrived 🎁 

Our Downtown Roanoke Holiday Gift Guide is complete! Thank you to all of our participants for bringing this project to life. Let’s promote shopping locally this holiday season! Please share the guide with friends, family, and customers.

The Elf on the Shelf® Map Mistake 🙈 

We discovered that the map in our Dickens insert had an error—oops! But don’t worry, we’ve updated it to help customers continue hunting. We apologize for any confusion and appreciate your understanding. We highly recommend that the participating locations print the corrected map.

Due to this mistake, we’ve made La De Da a bonus stop! Yay! Visitors can find a Scout Elf® there, too, but it isn’t required to complete the passport.

Get Involved

Giving Tuesday 💙 

This Giving Tuesday, we're asking for your support to help grow our Downtown Roanoke Ambassador Program!

A clean, safe, and welcoming downtown is the heart of a thriving city, and our 8-person Ambassador team is on the ground 7 days a week, providing 300+ hours of service every week to keep our downtown shining. Here's how they make a difference:

• Clean Team: Removing litter, debris, and graffiti; controlling weeds; and power washing to keep downtown looking its best.

• Hospitality Team: Welcoming visitors, answering questions, providing directions, and offering local recommendations.

• Outreach Team: Connecting with businesses, addressing community concerns, supporting those in need, and collaborating with Roanoke Police to keep the area safe.

This program is possible thanks to key partners like the City of Roanoke, Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge, Roanoke Foundation for Downtown, and other local stakeholders. But we need your help to keep it going strong for years to come! Every donation, no matter the amount, makes an impact. Please consider supporting our Ambassadors this Giving Tuesday!

Thank you for helping us keep downtown Roanoke vibrant and thriving!

We Want Your Feedback 📝 

Help us decide whether to continue hosting Holiday Night Markets and Small Business Saturday. You can also provide recommendations to improve the events. This brief survey is 10 questions long and takes approximately 3 minutes to complete.

Boost Promotion of Events and Specials ⭐️ 

As the holidays approach, more events and specials are announced every day. Don’t miss your opportunity to promote your events. Below are a few of the calendars where you can submit events.

• DRI’s Event Calendar 

• Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge

• Get2KnowNoke

• WSLS Community Calendar

• The Roanoker Magazine

You can also submit sales, discounts, specials, and promotions on merchandise and food to our Specials page. We use this information when we create the weekly newsletter sent to 14,000+ subscribers!

Gain Knowledge & Network

Holiday Catalogs Are Shrinking 🎁 

Have you noticed the catalogs in your mailbox feel lighter this year? According to AP News, “Many of the millions of catalogs getting sent to U.S. homes were indeed scaled down to save on postage and paper, resulting in pint-sized editions.” Another reason for the downsize is the increased use of digital gift guides (like ours) and social media to promote shopping items to customers. Despite recent changes, you can still expect physical guides for a bit longer. Find out why by reading the full article by AP News.

Events, Street Closures, & Parking

Downtown Events and Street Closures 🚧

The following street closures and associated events may affect Downtown traffic and business for the week of December 2 - 8.

⭐️ Delta Dental Dickens of a Christmas begins this Friday, December 6th. Please review our upcoming street closures.

• Jefferson Center Closure on Wednesday, 12/4 - Friday, 12/6 on 6th St SW between the loading dock and Campbell Ave

• Straight Street Youth Night on Friday, 12/6 & Saturday, 12/7 from 4pm - 11pm

  Closure: Luck Ave between 3rd St and 4th St

Check out our Event Calendar for a full list of events.

Find Downtown Parking 🅿️

With more than 1,300 on-street spaces and 7,000+ off-street spaces, plenty of free or paid parking options exist.

Parking Information

DRI - Your Downtown Partner

Put DRI to work for you! 💼

Our mission is to make Downtown Roanoke the preferred place to Work, Live, and Play. As a Downtown business, you have a valuable FREE resource at your fingertips. Let us help share your story!

Website Listings on DowntownRoanoke.org - Our business listings often come up among the first in Google searches. Help us enhance your listing by providing us with vital information including website, phone number, description, hours, menus, and images.

Fill out the form.

Job Listings on DowntownRoanoke.org - Downtown Roanoke is the most vibrant workplace around and a destination for job seekers. Let us help get the word out when you’re hiring!

Submit a job listing here.

Event Listings on DowntownRoanoke.org - Our Event Calendar is THE place people go to find out what’s happening Downtown. Get your event in front of the audience you’re looking for.

Submit an event here.

Important Contacts 👤

Often businesses need phone numbers for government services, such as solid waste, permitting, etc., and other services, such as private parking and transportation.

Check out our list of frequently requested information!

Important Contacts