Merchants plan sidewalk sale

LCF Merchants will host a citywide sidewalk sale Saturday intended to stimulate business in the typically quiet month of August.

The sale will include discounted retail prices, free food and drink samples and an opportunity to meet and mingle with local business owners, said Sue Stranger, owner of Adobe Design and head of the LCF Merchants. More than 30 businesses will participate, Stranger said.

“It is [an effort] to create a little stimulus for the merchants because August tends to be dark,” Stranger said. “The town goes on vacation, so whoever is there, we are going to try and get their attention.”

Much of the sale will be concentrated on Foothill Boulevard between Angeles Crest Highway and Commonwealth Avenue, Stranger said. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

LCF Merchants was formed last year as a means to unify and bolster La Cañada businesses during the economic recession. And the sidewalk sale comes amid a sputtering retail climate — nationally, consumer confidence remains low, and in recent weeks economists have voiced fears that the country will slip back into a recession.

La Cañada residents can help support local merchants and their city by doing their shopping in town, said Pat Anderson, chief executive of the La Cañada Flintridge Chamber of Commerce. Dollars spent in La Cañada flow back into the city’s coffers to cover costs of services and improvements, Anderson said.

“It is extremely important that local residents shop La Cañada Flintridge,” Anderson said. “One percent of every tax dollar spent here comes back to us. And that has a big impact on the city’s General Fund, it can be anywhere from 16% to 23%. That turns out to be more than $2 million.”

Local merchants are reaching out to their customers, and hoping customers reach back, she added.

“We encourage everyone to stop and at least say hello to those businesses, and to participate in the sidewalk sale,” Anderson said.