Business News - October 1

Happy October!

I’m on my honeymoon until October 14th. 🏖️ I’ve scheduled this week’s and next week’s newsletters in advance, so I apologize if I missed anything. If you need assistance while I’m away, please get in touch with Izzy Post.

Today’s Top Three:

• Real-life vampires are joining us for a blood drive!

• Don’t miss RPD’s holiday meeting if you want to protect your business from crime.

• Compete in our Employee Halloween Costume Contest!

Bonus: Read my little segment about Google reviews.

Keep reading to stay informed!  

- Joya Garris, Community Engagement and Communications Manager

Get Involved

Join RPD for Holiday Crime Prevention 🎄 👮 

You’re invited to the Roanoke Police Department’s holiday crime prevention meeting at the Berglund Center on Wednesday, October 9th, 6-8pm. Prepare for the holiday season and learn how to keep your business safe.

Donate and Save Lives 🩸 

Wednesday, October 9th | 11am - 6pm | Market Square

Join us in Market Square for a Blood Drive with The Blood Connection! Saving lives in Fang-tastic this October! (See what we did there?)

Appointments for donation are not required but are encouraged.

A Halloween Tradition Returns 🍬 

Saturday, October 26th

Join us for Macaroni Kid’s Downtown Candy Crawl on Saturday, October 26th, from 10 AM to Noon. Trick-or-treaters will be out in full force, with participating businesses handing out candy and treats to eager little ghouls and goblins. Plus, Macaroni Kid is looking for businesses to offer festive activities or special discounts to make the morning even sweeter!

Prepare for a crowd—last year, we welcomed 377 families (over 800 kids!), and this year promises to be even bigger. Make sure to stock up on plenty of goodies!

Get Your Costumes Ready!

Thursday, October 30th at 12pm

Goblins, ghouls, and ghosts are just a few outfit options for this year’s Downtown Employee Halloween Costume Contest! Compete for CASH prizes and show off your creativity in Market Square. The City Market Building will serve as our rain location.

Prizes:

• 1st place: $200

• 2nd place: $100

• 3rd place: $50

• Best group: $100

Magic is in the Air: The Elf on the Shelf Returns

Santa’s Scout Elves will be landing in Downtown Roanoke for the fifth time! Participate in a fun scavenger hunt where visitors must find all the Scout Elves hiding in downtown stores. Those who find them all will be entered for a chance to win $1,000!

Participating businesses must:

1. Be open during all three Dickens nights (Dec. 6, 13, & 20)

2. Have weekend AND evening hours in some way (Ex. open on Saturdays and until 9pm on weekdays)

3. Not serve/sell alcohol

Stay Informed

Star City StrongFest is Saturday 💪 

Test your strength at Star City StrongFest, a free wellness festival and strength expo in Elmwood Park. It serves as a community connection event and fundraiser for the Partnership for Community Wellness.

Participate in healing arts like yoga, visit health & wellness vendors, experience sports demos, test your strength with challenges, and win prizes with the StrongKidz Scavenger Hunt (don't worry —adults can play, too!)! Enjoy some yummy food from on-site vendors while watching athletes compete.

While you're there, don’t miss the 9th Annual Star City Strongman! 🏆 Strongman is a weightlifting sport that focuses on power, endurance, and maximum strength.

Upcoming October Events 🎃 

October is PACKED with downtown events. Here are a few of the larger events on our calendar.

• Hairfirmations Festival at the Taubman Museum of Art: 10/4

• AppleStack: A Flat-Out Funky Fall Fest at Crafteria: 10/5

• Autumn Artisanal Faire at Golden Cactus Brewing: October 5th

• Oktoberfest Celebration at Starr Hill Roanoke Pilot Brewery & Side Stage: 10/5

• "Hot Ones" Style Interview Panel with Local Foodies at Golden Cactus Brewing: 10/10

• Saturday at the Station at O. Winston Link Museum: 10/12

• Miss Roanoke Valley at the Dumas Center: 10/12

• GO Outside Festival (GO Fest) in Elmwood Park and surrounding areas: 10/18 - 10/20

• Dr Pepper Day in Market Square: 10/24

• Monster Motor Mash at Virginia Museum of Transportation: 10/26

• Downtown Candy Crawl by Macaroni Kid Roanoke VA: 10/26

• Halloween Street Party at Martin's Downtown: 10/26

• The Dead Reckoning: Frankenstein Halloween Party at 5 Points Music Sanctuary: 10/26

• Sidewinders Halloween Party: 10/26

• Hex Appeal: A Halloween Burlesque & Variety Show at 5 Points Music Sanctuary: 10/31

Don’t forget to submit your events to our calendar! We plan to create a Halloween feature post of all the downtown happenings.

Scrubbing One Block at a Time

The Gift Guide Returns 🎁 

Our holiday gift guide will be published around the end of November to coincide with Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. Check out the categories so you can prepare for the photoshoot in November (details to come).

Categories:

Please reach out to Joya with questions.

Call for Dickens Vendors! 🎄

Our Downtown Retailer Application is now available!

Downtown Roanoke Inc. encourages your business to join in the fun! Staying open during the festivities will help boost holiday sales!

• DRI will list your business in a special Roanoke Times Dickens insert if you commit to staying open until 10:00 p.m. each night of Dickens (Dec. 6, 13, and 20). 

• DRI will also list your giveaway if you provide one. 

If you are located away from the festivities and would like to participate, Downtown Retailers are invited at a reduced rate!

We must have applications by October 21^st, 2024.

Gain Knowledge & Network

Let’s Talk Reviews ⭐️ 

A conversation with an employee at Ivory on Campbell sparked the idea that I should discuss reviews— specifically Google reviews. While there are numerous apps and sites for reviews (Yelp, Facebook, Yellow Pages, your business website, etc.), the most popular is Google.

Reviews play a key role in choosing businesses to visit. For example, if you’re in a new city and looking for a restaurant, you probably Google “restaurants near me.” The ones with the highest average rankings and most reviews display first. By gathering high-quality reviews, you can increase your visibility and drive website traffic. Furthermore, you aren’t likely to go to a place with only one or two stars. You ARE much more likely to attend a business with four or five because other people say it’s good. This applies to various kinds of businesses like accounting firms, retailers, bars, tattoo studios, and law offices. Everyone benefits from good reviews!

The best part about reviews? They’re FREE. Sure, you can pay for search engine optimization or keywords to improve visibility, but many small businesses don’t have the funds, or they need to use their marketing dollars in other areas.

Challenge:

I challenge you to leave Google reviews for 3 downtown businesses you love. 💛 

Ready to Kick It?

Join Ad 2 & AAF Roanoke’s annual kickball tournament at River’s Edge on Friday, October 4th from 1:45-4:30pm.

Details:

• Two games will occur at once

• Lawn games will be provided for teams when they are not competing

• Participation options for teams and individuals.

Head to Starr Hill Pilot Brewery & Side Stage after the tournament for an awards ceremony.

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 September 30 - October 6.

• Straight Street Youth Night on Friday, 10/4 & Saturday, 10/5 from 4pm - 11pm

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

• PA Student Society at RUC Community Health Fair on Friday, 10/4 at Elmwood Park

• First Fridays on Friday, 10/4 on Franklin Rd between Jefferson St and Williamson Rd

• Late Nights on Friday, 10/4 at Taubman Museum of Art and Salem Avenue

• Star City StrongFest on Saturday, 10/5 at Elmwood Park

• Jefferson Center Closure on Saturday, 10/5 on 6th St between the loading dock and Campbell Ave

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