Thursdays Downtown makes its 2022 debut

(ABC 6 News) – People of all ages were out and about for the first Thursdays Downtown of the summer. For some, it was their lunch break. For others, a time to make some family memories.

"My favorite part is the Bleu Duck Food truck and I like the bundt cakes," said Marianne Florin who was at Thursdays with her daughter Ayla. It’s Ayla’s first year attending and when asked what she thought of it so far, she said "good."

Then there are people like Jennifer and Marzena Stasieluk from Illinois. Marzena just received a liver transplant and saw all the action out of her hospital window. So, she decided to explore.

"It’s awesome," said Marzena. "I like it, it’s cool," said Jennifer. Their next mission after talking to ABC 6 was to find something sweet.

It’s not just about the customers, each vendor has its own story including Mercedes Buchardt of Cypress and Clay. She started making jewelry with her sister during the pandemic. It’s her first year selling at Thursdays.

"It’s super exciting! We’ve come down here to visit and walk around, and we’ve come down here for years, we’re from the area," said Buchardt. "So it’s cool to finally be on this side of things, sell and look at everybody."

It’s a family affair, her husband helped create the displays and of course, there’s mom, helping with selling.

"These two have made a business out of this. So if you got something and you’re thinking, ‘ahh, I don’t know.’ Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Just go for it," said Carissa Hjellming, Mercedes’ mom.

For more details on Thursdays Downtown, you can click here.