The first Why Not Wednesday has come and gone and while it’s off to a slow start, local vendors are hopeful for the future.
This new idea invites local vendors, live music and food trucks to Downtown Fresno every third Wednesday of the month. Created by the community for the community, Why Not Wednesday was held on Sept. 18, starting from 5-9 p.m. on Fulton from Mono to Fresno Streets.
Originally, the street fair and vendor aspect of the night was part of Art Hop, but now they are two separate events.
With the announcement of the new changes, there has been a negative view of Why Not Wednesday. The most talked about on social media is the choice of name and the date of when the event would take place, with comments about it being awkward or not fitting anyone’s schedule.
Sofia Sanchez, the owner of Thrift222Hard and one of the organizers of Bad Girls Market, an all-girls-only small business event, said the night exceeded her expectations.
“At the end of the day, we have to be out here supporting,” Sanchez said. “If we don’t do this then we don’t have anything. Things change, you know, 2025 is gonna look different.”
Along Fulton Street, starting from the Fresno Street intersection leading to the front of Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Co. was blocked off for vendors. The new setup aims to provide a sufficient amount of walking space for pedestrians, which now has more room than before.
A substantial number of police officers were patrolling the area. A few officers walked up and down the street where most people were located while others were stationed at the start of the closed streets.
Business owners, vendors, artists and organizers have participated in committee meetings to create more for the city. It’s an opportunity to come together safely for a night of food, art, culture, and most importantly fun.
The streets were easy to navigate due to the road closures. Second-hand clothing vendors typically set up their booths close to each other while food trucks and booths did the same. There was always something intriguing, from clothes and jewelry, to live music.
“Fresno needs time to warm up to things,” said Paloma Linares, an attendee. “Even with Arthop, it took a long time to get to where it was. People don’t appreciate what they have and eventually, they’ll come to appreciate this.”
A few more vendors gave their input on this first night. Twins Key and Mio Vang owners of handmade jewelry (k3y.ston3s) and handmade decorated phone cases (Mio_decoden) both love the focus being more on artists.
“Honestly I think it was a pretty good turnout,” said Alice Gonzalez, owner of Young Lads Closet. “It’s not gonna be how Arthop was yet, but if everyone comes out to support one another it could be.”
Two second-hand clothing vendors who had a shared booth gave an opinionated take on their first time with ‘Why Not Wednesday.’
“It’s unfortunate to see such a big event that brought such a big community which I feel doesn’t happen very often be broken down,” said Alex Ramos owner of Santiluna Shop. “As a vendor, we have to keep going forward, the situation is out of our hands. Downtown Fresno Partnership didn’t want outside vendors but a lot of the organizers who did Arthop are still here which is great. I hope it can get as big as Arthop.”
The city’s goal was to have a new event separate from Arthop that has better control as a safety measure. Those who enjoyed Arthop are seeing this new change in a negative light such as Vanessa Gonzalez, owner of Summoned Clothing. Some see it as a fast cash grab due to the new fee charge for vendors and others see it as the city taking control over something made by the people.
“I wish they would look at the input from the vendors ’cause we’re actually out here doing the event and we understand what the customers want,” Gonzalez said. “We’re actually the ones interacting with the customers.”
