by Joe Courter
Back in 2020, during Covid, the city of Gainesville created a walkable area downtown on SW 1st Ave from Main Street to where it ends at the base of the parking garage at SW 2nd Street. This allowed for outdoor seating and strolling, and by lifting the open container laws, allowed downtown bars and restaurants to stay open instead of shutting down. It became known as The Streatery.
The initial hope was to have landscaping and planters put in, but that never happened. To this day there are activities going on that would not be happening otherwise. One or two nights a week there a hundred or more people doing Latin and salsa dancing, the Bull has an outdoor stage which gets regular use, and also provides seating. Further west by the garage, Loosey’s has outdoor seating and tables, and every Monday those tables are packed for the weekly trivia night, and it is otherwise an outdoor dining or socializing area.
More recently the folks at How Bazar have been creating regular large market events which have about a hundred venders set up over the whole area, and has included skateboarding, car shows, live music and/or dj’s. Many younger folks are drawn to the vibrant scene these markets create.
While it is true that a lot of the time there is nothing but empty brick streets and unused former car parking spaces, it still has great potential as a downtown park. Yes, there is a parking problem downtown, and the new parking regulations are not helping, where you must use a phone app to pay. But killing off this endeavor is a heavy handed response, and that is what some local downtown businesses in the area want. Not sure where this stands at press time — the city meeting to address it was cancelled due to Helene.
Enjoy it while we have it, and let’s hope we can keep it. There will be live music during the Fest on Oct. 25-27 at The Bull stage, free, with local and touring performers. Two events are happening on Sat., Nov. 2. From 11am to 4pm the Gainesville Global Festival: World Beats & Eats will be hosted by Greater Gainesville International Center in the Streatery. That evening, from 6 to 11pm, Bazar À La Carte: A Night Market will be hosted by How Bazar, in the Streatery and the closed 2nd Street.
And now if we can just save those five beautiful old live oaks in lot 10, across from Loosey’s, from being destroyed so another big hotel can plop down amid the struggling local businesses … I can dream.