By Jessica Doherty
The Review
The South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Laurie Wheeler presented its annual report to City Council earlier this month, revealing exciting statistics on pedestrian foot traffic throughout the year at the chamber’s various events with local businesses.
The South Pasadena Farmers Market has become a source of pride for the Chamber of Commerce and the city, winning three different awards, including best farmers market in the San Gabriel Valley region. Of the average 3,000 attendees of the weekly market, about half live outside South Pasadena.
The Eclectic Music Festival, meanwhile, attracted an estimated 22,000 attendees, according to Wheeler, not counting individuals at the nearby restaurants or local businesses. This past April marked the return of the festival after the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic pause, with more than 17 local acts performing throughout the one-day event.
The quarterly Arts Crawls have also received great buy-in from small businesses and local artists. About 20 to 25 businesses participate in special programming or events on the day, but Wheeler said that number does not include the other businesses that stay open later than usual to join in the fun. The event also sometimes includes an Artisan Alley, with between 10 to 30 local artisans selling their handcrafted products.
Wheeler said that these events are inspiring not just South Pasadena residents to get involved in the community, but also participants across the San Gabriel Valley and Los Angeles County.
“I hear from almost all of the businesses that they have more foot traffic than they have ever had, the best sales day they have ever had, [during] these events,” Wheeler said.
First published in the December 1 print issue of the South Pasadena Review.
