Downtown Rock Island prepares for season with Arts Alley Holiday Market

Rock Island is bringing downtown shopping back for the holiday season with new pop-up shops in Arts Alley.

It's all part of Deck the Downtowns, an immersive shopping experience put on in part by the Downtown Rock Island Alliance. The festivities will begin Wednesday, Nov. 20, in Arts Alley, 1719 2nd Ave., with caroling by the Rock Island High School Chamber choir at 3:30 p.m. followed by special remarks and a tree lighting ceremony at 4:30 p.m.

It will continue with a holiday window display challenge running Nov. 21- Jan. 1. Shoppers are encouraged to vote for their favorites online as part of the Holiday Display Challenge that includes businesses in downtown Rock Island, Davenport and Bettendorf.

Back for a third year, shoppers visiting downtown can also hunt for the holiday train, inspired by Rock Island's rich railroad history. The custom-crafted train ornaments laser cut by Crawford Company and decorated by Jackson Autobody & Custom Paint are hiding inside 35 downtown businesses.

Official hunt cards may be picked up at one of the participating businesses. A full list can be found online . After finding and checking off 10 on their card, customers can earn a collectible train ornament and be entered for a chance to win a grand prize.

Completed cards may be turned in at the Rock Island Public Library, Quad City Arts or the Quad City Botanical Center to be redeemed for an ornament while supplies last. The hunt will begin Nov. 21 and conclude Jan. 1.

New this year, the Downtown Rock Island Alliance is hosting the Arts Alley Holiday Market at 1719 2nd. Ave. in downtown Rock Island. Open weekends from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Nov. 29- Dec. 22, the alley will be transformed into a family-friendly shopping event. Hours will be extended from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday only.

After a building was demolished decades ago, the city designated the space as Arts Alley in the early 1990s to create a, "pedestrian gateway between the riverfront and the then thriving arts and entertainment district," Downtown Rock Island Alliance Executive Director Jack Cullen.

For the last several years, the city has been discussing ways to make improvements for the space by leveraging city funding and securing state grants. After sinking more than $500,000 into the project's completion, two large scale murals were painted in the space, the pavement was redone and new lighting is going in soon, he said.

"It really is a celebration of the work we've done to make improvements to Arts Alley, which I think is becoming a really dynamic public space that is well designed for social gatherings and special events and activities year round," Cullen said. "Part of the reason we're doing it is that there's been a lot of construction happening downtown and it was a goal to try and program the space to give a reason to the community for people to come downtown and explore some of these spaces."

In addition to the new murals, lighting and sculptures in the alley will be two vendor stalls made by Rock Island-based Crawford Company. To start the celebration, Buttercupp Candles and Lagomarcino's will each occupy one of the two spaces Wednesday, Dec. 20, during the opening celebration.

The stalls, shaped like train cars to reflect Rock Island's locomotive history, will host 10 local businesses throughout the course of the following four weekends beginning Nov. 29. Cullen said the goal is to bring in businesses that are not native to Rock Island to help spread the word about doing business there, and to promote tourism in the Quad-Cities.

Arts Alley Holliday Market schedule:

Both pop-up shops are also participating in That Dam Shopping Trip , a bi-state shop hop in downtown Rock Island and Davenport on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.

Both pop-up shops are also participating in That Dam Shopping Trip , a bi-state shop hop in downtown Rock Island and Davenport on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.