Here's the thing: when I opened the gallery nearly 2 years ago, I knew I wanted to bring art enthusiasts, collectors and community members together on First Fridays. It's a phrase and event known for art ... and when you add participating restaurants with food and drink discounts? You can't lose.
A couple months ago I was approached by Gravers Lane Gallery to get the community involved in First Fridays. First, we approached all of the galleries in Chestnut Hill. The pitch was to open up every First Friday from 5-8pm and offer a space for the community to come together every month! Below is a list of the galleries you can visit:
BORRELLI’S CHESTNUT HILL GALLERY
GALLERY ON THE AVENUE
GRAVERS LANE GALLERY
MOONDANCE FARM STUDIOS
NONAME GALLERY
THE LITTLE GALLERY
The next step involved Georgia Forjohn, the marketing expert at the Chestnut Hill Business Association, who came up with the name Arts & Eats along with the idea that we should try getting the restaurants involved.
!!GENIUS IDEA!!
I'm not going to lie, I tried previously by myself to get some of the other shops involved in my First Friday event, but it didn't work. When I look back it's because I was missing something: food and drink. I think Georgia's idea to incorporate the local restaurants in the area to offer drink/food discounts was key to making this work. The thing about Chestnut Hill is that we close early. We do and ... I love it. This little village has a laid back, enjoy your life, hang out with your friends, eat good food and be happy type of vibe. We're not working long hours everyday and we're not apologizing for it either ... at least I'm not.
On regular days, most of the shops are open Tuesday-Saturday and close around 5pm or 6pm. The only places that stay open later ... regularly ... are the restaurants, so why not invited them to take part in First Fridays? Do you see how this all started coming together? Good ... here is the list of restaurants offering specials & discounts EVERY First Friday!
Ok, so we able to get the galleries and restaurants on board, but what if you're not in the market for buying art? NO PROBLEM because a lot of our boutique shops are also staying open late for our Arts & Eats First Fridays! Check the list below!
ARTISANS ON THE AVENUE
BETWEEN FRIENDS BOUTIQUE
CHESTNUT HILL SPORTS
EMBER
FOLIAGE
GEORGE T. HOBE ANTIQUES AND FINE ART
HIDEWAY MUSIC
HOME WORKS
KISMET COWORK
KITCHEN KAPERS
LITTLE WARES
OCCASIONETTE
EL QUETZAL
STYLE BY BLAIN
VILLAVILLEKULA
WINDFALL GALLERY
Whew! We were able to bring together over 20 art galleries, shops and restaurants to join in on our First Friday Fun! Follow the Arts & Eats Instagram page for updates on events and specials to be offered every First Friday in Chestnut Hill!
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