Walkabout Aimed at North Canton Street Awareness

From retail shops and restaurants to hair dressers and nail salons, there is a variety of businesses on the north end of Canton Street.

And, with the monthly After Noon, North on Canton Street walkabout event, business owners are trying to bring more awareness to their area in historic Roswell.

“It’s meant to bring people to North Canton Street rather than the restaurants down on the south end,” said Ann-Marie Giglio of CoreMatters, one of the event’s organizers. We really want to bring people to this street.”

The area boasts attorneys, mortgage brokers, retail shops, restaurants, a pilates studio, yoga, a private fitness facility, an ice cream parlor, a hair dresser, nail salons, acupuncture, massage, a furniture shop, a painting studio, a day care and an auto repair shop.

“Really, it’s unbelievable what’s on this street,” Giglio said. “It can be a destination for a day. You can Christmas shop, birthday shop, all on Canton Street between Norcross and Woodstock.”

The walkabout will give visitors the chance to stroll around the area. Maps designating participating businesses will be available, and those businesses will be offering discounts and raffle drawings for patrons.

“What we’re trying to do is have people experience each store or each vendor on an individual basis,” Giglio said. “They should expect some sort of VIP treatment from businesses who are participating.”

Giglio said she’s also hoping to add musical performances by local children to the event.

“It becomes really more of an event for the community,” she said. “We’re not trying to sell to people; we just want to make this a destination for people. And, also, it seems like a natural center for Roswell. It’s a historic street, it’s beautiful. It just seemed like the perfect opportunity to create a community event.”

Nora Maccaro of Elegant Attic has participated in the walkabout since the first event in May.

“It’s been doing good,” she said. “I don’t have anything to compare it to. I haven’t looked at my sales last year, but I think we’re getting more traffic, and I am hearing from customers that they’re excited about coming out for it.”

Maccaro said she doesn’t know why visitors to the area seem to stay on the south side of the street.

“It is a challenge to get people to our end of the street,” she said. “It seems like they all congregate at the south end of the street for whatever reason that might be. It is a walk, and I don’t know if people just aren’t curious. I don’t know. We’re trying to figure it out. It’s a challenge, it really is.

The walkabout will be held Tuesday from noon-4 p.m. More information is available by calling Giglio at 404-435-6367 or emailing ourcorematters@gmail.com.