Camellia Cityfest Gives Downtown Greenville a Boost
It could be a busy weekend for some shops in downtown Greenville.
“As a business here we stay pretty steady and busy so we look forward to it every year,” says Chae Brown of True South Outfitters.
The Camellia Cityfest brings in tourists like one group from north Alabama.
“We travel around the southeast going to different places that are interesting and kind of out of the way and we saw where the camellia festival was going on down here and we rounded up a bunch of people and come down here to visit,” says David Hare.
Shop owners say it is a time to show off their downtown area.
“The “mom and pop” is really a dying art and we haven’t let it die in Greenville and so when you come and you’re going to eat something with me or you’re going to go across the street to True South or The Pineapple or wherever you’re going to go-the person that owns that shop is going to be in that shop,” says Ann Judaa of Camellia Bakery and Deli.
“We don’t see a lot on the interstate as we’re traveling and so it’s always good to see the little local towns and it may be a good pit stop on your trip or just a new event to start partaking in,” says Mandy Little of The Pineapple.
Besides the camellias at Cityfest, there are a couple of other things that tourists want to check out.
“A lot of the arts and the crafts and seeing the local people,” says Hare.
The 1 day event is something that these shop owners hope will keep people coming back.
“What helps us down here on Commerce Street, is that we want the people that come to Cityfest or whenever they come off the interstate is to know that this is a unique little downtown in the fact that we have all these shops down here,” says Judaa.
