This evening Daytonians can enjoy a holiday edition of First Friday. Community members will be able to craft upcycled holiday decorations at 2nd Street Market, pose with Santa in the Oregon District or attend the Dayton Philharmonic's Holiday Pops concert.
The event is an opportunity to find unique gifts for the holidays by shopping from local businesses. The Contemporary Dayton will be open for an exhibition of holiday gifts made by area artists, including ornaments and prints. A variety of other downtown retailers are offering discounts.
“First Friday and all these other activities, the holiday season, all of this is to help try to drive traffic to our locally owned small businesses,” said Sandy Gudorf, president of the Downtown Dayton Partnership. “When you spend money in these businesses, the money stays in our community.”
Shopping locally is especially important this year because many of these businesses have fought to stay open through the pandemic, she said. Another plus: you won’t have to worry about supply chain issues and gifts getting delivered to your door on time when you stop by local stores.
The Downtown Dayton Partnership has also put together a holiday gift guide with Dayton’s small business offerings.