Community members and visitors alike make their way down German Street, to view the booths at Shepherdstown Street Fest on Saturday. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Thirty-one businesses in the Corporation of Shepherdstown had booths at Shepherdstown Street Fest on Saturday.

For many of them, participating in the annual event is a fun way to become more involved in their community. But the longterm, economic impact of the connections they build at the festival is often felt in different ways.

“We do good business at Street Fest. It’s always a good sales day,” said Creative Procrastinations & Whimsical Necessities owner Emma Cassale. “The past two years since it was brought back after the pandemic have been pretty nice, with good crowds and friendly people.”

Cassale began noticing the positive impact the festival had on her business from the very beginning, as it was opened the day before the 2015 Shepherdstown Street Fest and saw excellent sales on that day. That has continued to prove true over the years, even as she has changed the kinds of items she offers at the booth in front of her storefront at 132 East German Street.

“I use Street Fest as an opportunity to expand the store,” Cassale said.

“I love selling second hand clothes, but there is simply not enough room in my store to keep a good stock of them,” she added. “So at Street Fest, my booth is focused on selling second hand clothing — something my customers love and come out to support.”

Up the street, Nightburner Print Company owner T.J. Vance said he has had a booth at the festival for the past two years that his business has been in 133 West German Street. He has noticed a year-round impact from the connections he has made with festival attendees and always experiences an uptick in sales on the day-of.

“This was my second best sales day, last year, and based on how things went this year, I imagine that will be the same again,” Vance said. “I love it, that the businesses are able to set up booths at Street Fest. It is especially nice that they make sure we can have our booths right in front of our businesses — it ensures that people know where we are, so they can come back and visit us the next time they’re in town.”

He said that he likes to create some products especially for the festival every year. This year, he sold swim trunks and baseball hats that used his long-lasting screen printing technique and featured designs similar to those on the rest of his lifestyle brand, Live Rough Die Tough.

“I love that I can be out here and joining the party with everyone at Street Fest each year,” Vance said.

A similar financial boost has not necessarily been experienced by Tonic Herb Shop at 140 East German Street, during the many years it has had a booth at the festival.

“We’ve done it every year that they’ve done Street Fest. It’s a lot of work. Honestly, I’m on the fence about whether or not we’re going to do it again next year,” said Tonic Herb Shop co-owner Ashley Davis. “It’s hard to split our focus between the booth and the shop.”

She said that extra staff has to be scheduled for the day of the festival, to adequately run both locations. The amount of work for the festival also increases beforehand, as items for the booth need to be selected and, in some cases, created.

“No one I have spoken with in the shop has mentioned that they first came across us at Street Fest. Some people have mentioned that they remember visiting us at Street Fest and having a good time there. Having the refreshing drinks at our booth outside, when it’s so hot, has really helped with that,” said Tonic herbalist Lakeja Baylor. “It might not be their first introduction to us, but it does keep us in their minds. That’s great.”