Business News - February 4

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow—we’re in for 6 more weeks of winter. Make sure you have enough seasonal merchandise to last through the extended wintery weather.

Today’s Top Three:

• Take advantage of the opportunity to be included in our Valentine’s Day feature post.

• The Freedom First St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Shamrock Festival returns to Downtown Roanoke on Saturday, March 15th!

• Check out VBR’s Visitor’s Guide and Map— the ultimate tool for encouraging visitors to stay, shop, and eat downtown.

Keep reading to stay informed!  

- Joya Garris, Community Engagement and Communications Manager

Stay Informed

Ambassador Updates 📝

January was another busy month for our incredible Ambassador Team! The statistics outline exactly what the team tackled.

• Hospitality assists, directions, and escorts: 329

• Sweep/small clean up: 295

• Outreach contacts: 145

• Outreach referrals: 28

• Bags of litter collected: 95

• Scooter relocations: 95

• Business contacts: 80

• Biohazard clean up: 70

• Handbills, stickers, and graffiti removed: 29

• Small bulk trash removed: 13

• Weed abatement: 2 (block faces)

Want to see more from the team? Follow our official Downtown Ambassadors Facebook Page.

Get Your Green On ☘️ 

Business Feature: Davidsons 👔 

Click here to learn more about the rich history behind one of downtown’s oldest operating stores.

Seeking Seasonal, PT Market Clerk🧑‍🌾

Get Involved

Last Call for Valentine’s Day Submissions 💝 

Don’t forget to submit your events and specials for Valentine’s Day (and Galentine’s) to our website. Submissions are used to create a feature post on all the downtown happenings. The post goes live tomorrow so this is your last chance for inclusion. Additionally, Izzy pulls information for her weekly newsletter straight from listings.

Sections include:

• Gifts: Valentine’s Day sales and discounts

• Food specials

• Valentine’s themed events

• Galentine’s Day events

Click here to view a similar feature post written for Halloween.

Restaurant Week Marketing Recap & Feedback 📝 

Thank you to all 33 participating businesses who made Restaurant Week a roaring success!

Please review the brief recap of our Restaurant Week marketing efforts. We recently updated the radio data in the summary.

Additionally, we’re gathering input from restaurant managers and customers to improve next year. Please complete the appropriate survey below.

Call for Artists 🎨 

The Little Gallery is accepting submissions for the 2025 Rising Stars Invitational! Submissions should be from early-to-mid-career artists within a 4-hour drive of The Little Gallery.

Submit at least 5 images of your best artwork to [email protected] by April 1st to be considered for the show. No calls or walk-ins are accepted.

Gain Knowledge & Network

Mayor’s Business Summit 🧑‍💼 

Monday, March 10 | 8:30am - 12pm

Mayor Joseph L. Cobb's FREE Business Summit, titled "Starting and Developing Your Small Business" helps small businesses get the tools and resources needed to thrive.

Event sessions include: Empowering Your Business, Funding Resources and Programs, Social Media and Marketing Strategy, and Small and Mighty Business Owners.

Registration is required!

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 February 4 - 9.

• DRI doesn’t know of any closures for the week.

Please review the street closures associated with the Freedom First St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Shamrock Festival on Saturday, March 15.

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