By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Rockford City Market is conducting its end-of-season survey as it tries to determine what worked, what didn’t and the economic impact it had on downtown business.
The market recorded more than 92,000 visits to the weekly event this season. That was its highest attendance since the record 111,160 in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic nearly ground the market to a halt. It was the sixth highest attendance in 13 seasons of the Friday market at Water and State streets.
Now Rock River Development Partnership, which manages the market, is collecting survey data to determine its next moves for 2023.
Related: As Rockford City Market wraps up its season, more of its vendors are graduating to storefronts
It asks patrons questions in an anonymous survey to report how many times they visited the market, what their favorite vendor was, what other downtown businesses they visited outside the market and how much money they spent, among other questions.
“We really, really want to use that to get feedback and plan for next year, and we really do take all that to heart,” said Cathy McDermott, executive director of Rock River Development Partnership, in an interview last week.
The market’s 2021 survey showed about 80% of respondents said City Market was their main reason for visiting downtown. About 30% of people said the visited the market one to two times, and less than 10% visited more than a dozen times in 2021.
Related: Thai food truck made popular at Rockford City Market opens its first storefront
Also in 2021, about 25% of market patrons said they spent $21-$41 additional dollars at downtown businesses outside the market, less than 20% said they spent $41-$60 and about 35% said they spent no additional money at other downtown businesses.
There were 270 respondents to last year’s survey.
Take the Rockford City Market survey
About: Rockford City Market is conducting an end-of-season survey to learn the impact of the market on local businesses and what changes it may make in the future.
The survey runs online through Monday, Oct. 24.
Where: You can take the survey HERE.
Next up | Whiskey and wine
What: The next event on Rockford City Market grounds is Whiskey & Wine, which includes tastings of various spirits and wines from around the world provided by Artalé Wine Co. There will also be food trucks and the opportunity to order your favorite bottles for later pickup at Artale.
When: 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15
How much: $50 or $60 at the gate.
Tickets: Find tickets on Eventbrite.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas.