Although rain bore down on the region for most of Friday morning, the initial First Friday of 2017 in Bristol Borough went off with a parking lot full of cars and Mill Street mobbed with people.
By evening, the rain and cleared just in time for First Friday to begin.
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The threatening rain and rough wind kept a few vendors away. However, a sizeable number vendors and patrons were out in full force.
Given the weather, Shea Cialella, the administrative coordinator of the Bristol Borough Business Association (BBBA), was very happy with the turnout.
“I’m really excited for the rest of the season given tonight’s turnout,” Cialella said.
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The first First Friday is the only one of the season that does not have a theme. The themes and different entertainment options at future festivals will help in bringing people to the riverfront town, Cialella said.
New businesses took the opportunity to network among Mill street regulars. Amongst the new businesses were Noble Earth, a kombucha bar and wellness center, and Itri, a wood oven pizza bar.
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Joe Rakowski, owner of Noble Earth, has been working since the end of last summer to get the space ready for business. He came to town towards the end of last year’s First Friday festivals.
“Even last year was huge,” Rakowski explained. “The excitement for what I was going to do here was awe inspiring.”
Bill Pezza, president of Bristol Borough: Raising the Bar, and the Chief of Police Steve Henry came in and were impressed by the shop’s interior transformation.
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That reaction, Rakawski said, is a huge complement to him, as it comes from two public figures he greatly respects.
Greg Pezza, a co-owner of the Itri Pizza Bar and a councilman for Bristol Borough’s East Ward, noted the strong turnout for Friday’s festival. He said the turnout is even more exciting at the owner of the soon-to-open eatery.
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“It’s a testament to how many people really want to come to Bristol,” Pezza explained. “I think it is telling of what’s to come.”
“We have dropped anchor here and we are risking a lot to open a business in the town I grew up in,” Pezza explained. Pezza, who owns Itri with his wife Dana Pezza, knows that businesses are never sure things, and by going to Mill street, they are showing faith for the future of the town.
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First Friday’s began in town three years ago and run the first Friday of every month from May through September.
