Downtown Fairfield 'Coming Back To Life' At Sidewalk Sale

FAIRFIELD, CT — Spirits were sunny Saturday with a busy Sidewalk Sale & Street Fair bringing hundreds of people out to shop in downtown Fairfield.

Last year, in the throws of the coronavirus pandemic, the town and Chamber of Commerce hosted a much more subdued version, with fewer vendors, more masks and less overall turnout.

“It’s certainly great to see so many people out and about, enjoying all that the town has to offer,” said Mark Barnhart, director of community and economic development.

He said that around 75 participating vendors — those with brick-and-mortar shops and those with virtual space — took part, with many accessible via booths around Sherman Green.

“Maybe 10 years ago we reinvigorated it, added music and kid activities,” Barnhart said.

At that time, the town partnered with the chamber, which had been running the event solely for several years prior.

“Mark and I, the chamber and the town, come together to do community events,” said Beverly Balaz, chamber president.

She stressed that the goal of this particular event was to encourage people to shop and buy from local vendors.

“These events are a perfect way to support our community,” she said. “And it’s a great way to showcase our community.”

“We hope people come out and support the shop local movement,” said Nancy Quinn, special events coordinator with the Fairfield University Bookstore.

Like others, she said it was great to see the pandemic waning and more people populating the downtown area.

“It’s nice to feel like we’re getting back to normal,” she said. “It’s nice to see the downtown coming back to life.”