Alton Main Street presents First Fridays, a late night art and shopping experience which spans the Downtown Alton district. This event is held on the First Friday of October, November and December, providing you with an opportunity to check out new shops and visit familiar favorites to experience great specials at each business.
Participants are offering a variety of discounts, refreshments, and giveaways. Every time you make a purchase you’ll have your passport stamped for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate to any participating business. Find “Where’s Wadlow” hidden at one of the locations to also win a $100 gift certificate!
Free parking is available in the lot next to FLOCK Food Truck Park & Bar, located at 210 Ridge Street, and a free shuttle bus will be provided from 5:00-8:00 p.m., running a continuous loop between all participating locations. This year’s dates are October 3rd, November 7th & December 5th!
On Friday, December 5th, start your evening by picking up your First Friday passport at any participating shop or gallery, then hop on the shuttle or walk your way around the downtown district, gathering stamps on your passport along your journey!
Begin your adventure with a beverage or a snack to fuel your shopping excursion. Enjoy FLOCK*D, the magically decorated, cozy indoor holiday concept from Flock Food Truck Park & Bar complete with special holiday food items from Byrdies food truck. Passport holders will get $2 off the themed holiday cocktail/mocktail menu. Gift Cards are also on special – when you buy $25 you’ll get $5 extra.
Visit clothing boutique Coco+Oak on 3rd Street and save 15% off her selection of trendy outfits and accessories. Persnickety by Jen Farley welcomes you to their brand new larger location at 413 East Broadway, and you’ll receive one entry for a drawing for a $50 posey pass for every $50 spent during the event.
At Country Meadows, guests will enjoy refreshments and special discounts while they check out dozens of vendors inside the resale space. At Picture This & More enter to win their giveaway and grab a snack to keep you going. Neighbor ‘Nside the Box will be enjoying cookies & cocoa and holiday sales so be sure to stop in for a nibble and some savings.
Down the street at Funky Planet Toys & Gifts, shoppers who donate a toy to their toy drive will be entered into a raffle for a $20 gift certificate! Uncle Jeff’s T-Shirt’s creative, hilarious, and sometimes cheeky in stock merchandise is BOGO 50% off for First Friday, beloved Alton favorite Honeybee Vintage is wooing shoppers with 10% off storewide, and just a stop away is 1904 General Store which is offering 30% off any merchandise. Mom can’t really tell you no when you can save 10% storewide at both Mississippi Hippie and Mom Said No! You’ll also love your free gift with a $100 purchase.
Our friends at Jacoby Arts Center are back this year at their new location at 208 State Street! They’ll be celebrating the opening of two new art exhibitions. Be sure to stop by to enjoy pieces from OMA (Opening Minds Through Art) – a showcase of art made by adults living with dementia and the Little Art Show – a collection of tiny art pieces created by the community in partnership with the Hayner Public Library!
This year’s series brings six new shops into the fun! Jacoby Fine Violins will be welcoming guests with 15% off any instrument or bow, plus they will feature live music in the store during each First Fridays event. This month features cellist Juliana Soltis from Richmond, VA playing solo Bach for cello, and maybe a lesson on how to do a court dance that would have been done to the music when it was composed! Downtown Alton’s newest art gallery, Elysian Gallery inside Mineral Springs, will be offering sweet treats and non-alcoholic beverages, free branded coffee mug with every $50 purchase, and a raffle for a $200 gift card.
Stop in newcomer Mooneyham Art to shop a wide variety of local artists’ work, plus enjoy some refreshments. Plant Em is entering shoppers into a raffle for a Mermaids Tail Cactus raffle; each plant purchased gets you a raffle ticket!! And make sure to check out Alton’s new artist collective Bluff City Bazaar, where you can enter for a chance to win a prize basket filled with artist-made wares! New thrift shop SuzyQ’s Designs and Finds at 303 Ridge is joining the fun this month, offering $15 off your purchase of $50 or more.
Downtown Alton’s resident art bar The Conservatory, filled with the KOOL work of Michael Snider’s Kooliverse, will also be a shuttle stop offering happy hour drink specials as a perfect location to grab a pick-me-up or end your evening. Speaking of adult indulgences, Terrace Dispensary will welcome guests who are 21+ with a valid ID in for 20% off purchases of $25 or more.
Keep an eye out for “Where’s Wadlow”, a 14” wooden figurine of Robert Wadlow styled as the familiar Where’s Waldow character which will be hidden at one of the locations. Find him to win a $100 gift certificate to any participating location!
Mark your calendar for the remaining date in the series: December 5th.
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Thank you to Megyme Productions for this awesome video, perfectly capturing the vibe of First Fridays!
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