Downtown Holiday Market in Washington, DC gives a boost to economy of the nation's capital

WASHINGTON (WJLA) — As Washington, D.C.'s Downtown Holiday Market came to a close Saturday,vendors worked to sell to as many last-minute gift shoppers as possible before crews took down the tents, stage for live music, and lights.

Meriam Cherif is in her second year as a vendor at this market and said this event is crucial for her to be able to put food on the table for her family.

We have handmade ceramics, pottery," Cherif said. "Small businesses live from this kind of market. We support our families.

The Downtown Holiday Market is a tradition now in its 19th year.

Market organizer Michael Berman told WJLA many vendors rely on this event for a large chunk of their income for the year.

For many of them, it's more than half their income for the whole year," Berman said. "We've had record crowds and a lot of people have been coming out. All of the vendors and small businesses have reported great sales. Some even had some record-breaking days.

But this market does not help only the vendors.

With thousands flocking to downtown Washington, D.C. to shop there, surrounding restaurants and bars also feel the effects.

Gerren Price is the president and CEO of Washington's Downtown Business Improvement District and said the surrounding area sees an economic boost as a result of the market.

"Within just the first two weeks, we had 130,000 unique visitors who passed through this space. We know those folks are coming. They're generating lots of economic activity," Price said. "They're buying Christmas gifts, they're buying holiday things, they're getting into the holiday spirit, and then they're going to have dinner, they're going and catching a show, they're going and doing the other things that are here and available for them Downtown."

Berman added: "That's the whole point of this event, is - one - to help and focus on small businesses and incubate these small businesses into bigger businesses, but also to help Downtown and to help people patronize these restaurants and bars, and all of the other retail down here, too.

This economic boost may soon be more important than ever for the market in the shadow of Capital One Arena.

Two weeks ago, Monumental Sports & Entertainment – which owns the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals – announced their intention to move the two teams out of the downtown arena and into Virginia.

Berman said any such move may also have an impact on the Downtown Holiday Market.

"The Caps and the Wizards, that's an extra boost to us," Berman said. "There's synergy with that, and it's important. We'd hate to see them go, but these kind of events - this one, cherry blossom events, those kind of events Downtown - they're critical to boosting the city."

But Price said he and other city leaders are already preparing for a possible move by the two teams.

"Should that happen, I think the impact here would be felt to some extent. But we're already thinking about actions and the future," Price said.

We have to attract as many people as possible to our downtown core, and if we don't have a sports arena to do it, we will have other ways and mechanisms to bring people here by activating our streets, by amplifying our public spaces, and having events like this.

Crime has also been a cause for concern for residents and visitors.

Total crime in the Downtown Business Improvement District has increased by 10%, with violent crime up by 59%, compared to the same time last year.

Earlier this week, there was an officer-involved shooting just a block away from where the market is located.

However, the market has employed major security measures to keep patrons safe.

"For us, it hasn't been an issue. I employ a lot of folks, and we have a lot of security here," Berman said.

Price added: "We take a lot of efforts to make sure there's ample security here. There's lots of eyes and ears floating around ensuring there's a quick response should anything happen.

In the meantime, vendors like Cherif said she is only focused on how many customers have flocked to the market.

"It's a good year, no complaints," Cherif said. "The economy is not doing well, but I feel like this market, nobody can complain about it because the traffic is good."