San Francisco's Downtown First Thursdays kicks off with high hopes that it will revitalize an area that has struggled since the start of the pandemic.
The goal of the block party is to get thousands of people downtown, specifically on Second Street between Market and Howard streets, an area that has experienced a wave of retail closures and businesses leaving.
According to the San Francisco Standard, since 2019, about 47% of businesses surrounding Union Square went out of business.
The event was an exciting time for residents, who said the energy in Downtown San Francisco hasn't been the same since the pandemic.
“It just livens people up. It gets people out of their house. It makes San Francisco exciting!” said Graham Lloyd of San Francisco.
It’s why organizers like Manny Yekutiel are hoping that First Thursdays can bring thousands of potential customers directly to downtown businesses.
“For me, the most important thing about tonight is to make sure the small businesses make money because right now, the people hurting the most are the small businesses,” he said.
Steve Johnson with "Sir Handz Street Foodz" was one of the many vendors at Thursday’s event. He said he stands to benefit greatly from the new clients.
“This is going to be help us tremendously. For one, it’s the beginning of the month and that's when a lot of bills are due. To have a consistent flow of income to come through, to have your business back, that’s the stuff we need,” he said.
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San Francisco Mayor London Breed paid visit to first Thursdays. She said that she hopes the event can activate downtown and show residents that it’s open for business.
“Part of our downtown economic recovery is to make downtown more of a neighborhood. Not just a ‘9 to 5’ financial district,” Breed said.
The event will take place on the first Thursday of every month along Second Street between Market and Howard until April 2025.
