Nominations for the Jax Pack Downtown Merchants Association board of directors are being accepted and membership levels for the group are being finalized for retail business and other Downtown supporters, association co-founder Ida Metzger said Wednesday.
After June 1, meetings for the Downtown merchants association will exclusively be for members and the City has offered to help find the group a new location for its meetings, she said.
"We have outgrown the café," Metzger said, referring to Chamblin's Uptown Cafe, where the group has met since being created.
She said several programs will soon be introduced, including a website for the organization and a monthly "spotlight business" social media campaign.
Also in development is what Jax Pack co-founder Jennifer O'Donnell called a "welcome wagon" for new retail owners.
"We have heard from so many people that nobody was there to help them learn about City permits and regulations and nobody ever walked through their door to welcome them to Downtown after they were open," she said.
Gary Sass, president of Adlib Luxury Tours, presented an overview of his Downtown "Top to Bottom" walking tour. The tour departs from the Landing at 10 a.m. each Tuesday for a two-hour exploration from the tunnel beneath Forsyth Street to the Skyline Café on the 42nd floor of Bank of America Tower. A condensed version of the tour is offered during First Wednesday Art Walk.
Sass said he is planning to introduce a "Northbank Ghost Tour" in August.
Since many Downtown businesses are involved in the One Spark festival, Jax Pack postponed its next open meeting until 10 a.m. April 23.
O'Donnell said the location will be available at facebook.com/Jax-Pack-Downtown-Merchants.
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