Kaicie Boeglin
Editor-in-Chief
Celebrate Downcity 2021 is the first collaboration between InDowncity and Soulita. The collaboration is a weekly holiday local shopping event in Providence at Grant's Block and on Westminster Street. The holiday festival will come in the form of events, local vendors and local shops each Saturday from Nov. 27 to Dec. 18. The Saturday events will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature local small businesses, musicians, artists and food vendors.
Celebrate Downcity is an opportunity for Rhode Islanders to experience Providence’s local creative community and small businesses. This collaboration is to offer guests the best products the city has to offer. This helps the local economy thrive and allows individuals a chance to find a unique holiday gift. Soulita organized 20 local vendors to accompany a marketplace at Grant's Block. The merchandise will range from clothing and jewelry to skincare items, housewares and greenery, locally sourced and ethnic foods and much more.
Each week the live music performances will change up, so it is encouraged to visit more than one week if possible. Thriving to inspire, shoppers and visitors can also travel down Westminster Street to find gifts at Craftland, Queen of Hearts and Modern Love, Symposium Books and Records, The Vault Collective, Civil, Homestyle, and Eno Fine Wines. These shops also include a wide range of items from handmade cards to vintage and antique items, as well as skate equipment.
Joanna Levitt, Director of Commercial Leasing and Marketing for Cornish Associates and press contact for InDowncity released a statement saying, “Our local businesses experienced a tremendous setback last holiday season. InDowncity and Cornish Associates are here to encourage and celebrate their path towards recovery. This holiday, these businesses will be vibrant, filled with unique goods and ready for their customers to shop safely. We’re thrilled to be partnering with Soulita, bringing creatives from throughout the city to downtown to showcase the best local holiday shopping our community has to offer.”
Celebrate Downcity is a chance to celebrate, shop around, invest locally and have a good time. It is also a moment to reconnect with the city of Providence and show that consumerism can support the economy on a local level, happily.