The Paris Independent
15
August 6, 2022
COMMUNITY NEWS Street Jammin’ downtown Paris! BIA brings infusion of energy to your shopping experience By Carolina Saenz Beautiful Paris is buzzing with locals and tourists alike enjoying all that summer in Paris has to offer. The Downtown Paris Business Improvement Association (BIA), however, has taken it up a notch with the new Paris Street Jams. An addition to the already wonderful dine and shop downtown experience, Paris Street Jams liven up our town with live music twice a week. On Thursday evenings at Cobblestone Commons and on Sunday afternoons on William Street, performers spread the kind of joy and togetherness only music can bring. Courtney McColl, owner of the Fizz Soakery, and Katherine Pickering, owner of The Paris Bohemian Gallery, share more about this BIA initiative. They are the duo behind this project, which they describe as an ongoing learning experience that takes a tremendous amount of effort to coordinate. “We want to start building a culture downtown that everyone is talking about. A place visitors will continue to return to and bring their friends. Somewhere locals can enjoy live music, food, art and shopping steps from their home,” McColl explains. Pickering observes that the Paris Street Jams add a much needed “Street Culture” to downtown and invite both locals and visitors to experience an inclusive dimension of our arts culture, Continued on page 16
Street Jams organizers Courtney McColl (left) and Katherine Pickering – both local business owners. - Submitted Photo
