Business News - June 10

👷 Repaving project slated for 16 curbs downtown 🚧

Author

Joya Garris
June 10, 2025

Happy Tuesday! Are you getting ready for next week? Bites & Bevs presented by Virginia Spirits begins on June 16th! Restaurants— don’t forget to submit your menus. Everyone else, make a plan and a reservation to sip, savor, and save.

Today’s Top Three:

  • Volunteer with us at WDBJ7’s Star City Slide! It’s sure to be a blast.

  • As part of a VDOT repaving project, the City of Roanoke is updating 16 curbs to be ADA compliant. Detours and street closures will take effect during construction.

  • Do you know any farmers who want to vend on the Historic City Farmer’s Market? Send them our way!

Bonus: Thanks to Cox Mobile, you can get a $5 discount on tickets to WDBJ7’s Star City Slide. Click here for details. 

Keep reading to stay informed!  

- Joya Garris, Director of Marketing & Communications

Get Involved

Volunteer at our Fundraiser 💛 

WDBJ7’s Star City Slide is a fundraiser benefitting the Downtown Roanoke Ambassadors. In order to make the event a success, we need dedicated volunteers! Roles include check in assistants, slide monitors, tickets sellers, tube station attendants, and more.

Seeking Farmers! 🧑‍🌾 

We’re seeking farmers to join the Historic City Farmer’s Market. For our purposes, a farmer is defined as anyone who sells produce, including, but not limited to, fruits, vegetables, and cut greenery, live plants, herbs, flowers, meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products. Farms must be located within 100 miles of downtown and the farmer must have a City of Roanoke business license or growers permit. View the Vendor's Handbook for additional guidelines.

Cost: $20 on Fridays and Saturdays, $10 Sunday - Thursday. A parking space is included in your fee.

Due to our need to maintain a ratio of 75% farmers/growers to 25% other vendors, we do not have space for arts/crafts vendors or bakers at this time.

Stay Informed

ADA Curb Ramp Project ♿️ 

As part of a VDOT repaving project, curb ramps on Campbell Avenue between Williamson Road and Jefferson Street will be upgraded to meet current ADA standards. The new ramps will be larger, changing the look of the streetscape with curb extensions and sidewalk adjustments. These changes will help calm traffic, improve safety, and boost accessibility. Construction starts June 16 and should wrap up by December 2025. Pedestrian detours will be in place to ensure accessible routes.

Planned ramps (16 in total):

  • Two ADA ramps on the west side of Williamson/Campbell

  • Three ramps at Campbell/(middle)Market St

  • Four ramps to cross Campbell at (lower)Market St along the frontage of the Market building

  • Three ramps at Campbell/Wall

  • Four ramps at Campbell/Jefferson

Please direct questions to Ian Coffey, City of Roanoke - Transportation Division. 540-853-2210 | [email protected]

Star City Slide - Street Closures 🚧 

WDBJ7's Star City Slide will bring a few street closures to downtown. Access to residential units, businesses, as well as surface parking lots will be maintained. Overnight security will be on-site each night.

Closures: Beginning at 7pm on Friday, June 27, and lasting until after the event on Sunday, June 29th. Removal of the slide may take until midnight on the 29th.

  • Salem Ave between 3rd St and Gainsboro Rd/2nd St

  • Gainsboro Rd/2nd St between Campbell Ave and Loudon Ave (behind the Dumas Center)

Happy Anniversary! 🎉 

Congratulations and happy anniversary to the following businesses! Cheers to past success and many more years to come.

  • A New Slate Salon - 5 years

  • chocolatepaper - 19 years

  • Core Chiropractic - 21 years

  • Curry Copy - Current owners are celebrating 48 years

  • Fruits & Roots - 2 years

  • Little Green Hive - 12 years

  • Mast General Store - 5 years

  • Olde Salem Brewing on Market Street - 3 years

  • Roanoke Pinball Museum - 10 years

  • Walkabout Outfitter - 20 years

Ambassador Update 🗑️ 

Do you need pressure washing outside of your business? Let the Downtown Roanoke Ambassadors know! They pressure washed 8 blocks and 26 hotspots in May. Call 540-553-6638 to get added to the schedule!

Gain Knowledge & Network

Ribbon Cutting 🎀 ✂️ 

Atheling Meadworks Downtown - Thursday, June 12th at 10:30am

Welcome Atheling Tasting Room to Downtown Roanoke at the official Roanoke Regional Chamber ribbon cutting! Celebrate this exciting new addition to our local scene. Atheling is serving up handcrafted mead, warm hospitality, and a seriously cool vibe. Stick around after the ribbon cutting for tours, mingling, and a toast to their success.

Blue Ridge Rising Summit

July 8 - 10 | The Hotel Roanoke

Join residents and leaders from the 29-county Blue Ridge Parkway corridor to discover new ideas, hear the latest updates and progress reports, learn about upcoming grant programs and other plans, and make new connections as the Parkway Foundation continues to advance the Blue Ridge Rising Action Plan.

Blue Ridge Rising Summit

July 8 - 10 | The Hotel Roanoke

Join residents and leaders from the 29-county Blue Ridge Parkway corridor to discover new ideas, hear the latest updates and progress reports, learn about upcoming grant programs and other plans, and make new connections as the Parkway Foundation continues to advance the Blue Ridge Rising Action Plan.

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 June 9-15.

  • Straight Street Youth Night on Friday, 6/13 and Saturday, 6/14 on Luck Ave SW between 3rd St and 4th St

  • Delta Dental Party in Elmwood on Thursday, 6/5 at Elmwood Park

Update: Drainage Project — Starting today (Tuesday, 6/3), the intersection of 1st St and Salem Ave will be closed during Utility work. In the next 1-2 weeks, construction work will move to Salem Ave. Stormwater will continue to post updates and closures here.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!