Some downtown Wilmington business owners unhappy with new Riverfest location

WILMINGTON (WWAY) — Dozens of vendors lined Front Street as Wilmington held its annual Riverfest this weekend.

There were some changes from last year, with one in particular not being well-received by small business owners.

In previous years, Riverfest ran through downtown Wilmington from Orange to Chestnut Streets. But this year, the event was moved further north, from Chestnut to Hanover Street.

That has left some downtown business owners — like Matt Karn, owner of the Wilmington Distillery — feeling left out.

“Downtown Wilmington, when you come, this is where you come. You’re coming to see the small coffee shops, the distillery, the small restaurants, the small bars. These are the people that were excluded from this year by the move that they made,” Karn said. “We had to send home many employees because they were not needed.”

According to Riverfest President Roderick Bell, the change was made after two of the parking lots used in the past were unavailable this year.

But Karn says the Wilmington Distillery, and other businesses along Dock Street, missed out on potential customers that normally come with the festival.

“I don’t know if it’s just for parking, but that’s not a good enough reason for me,” Karn said.

Bell says that high food prices — a major complaint from last year’s event — have also been addressed.

“It was one particular food vendor that didn’t have his food prices displayed. That vendor has not been invited back and all those other things have been addressed,” Bell said. “Before a food vendor is open, they must have their prices displayed so then a customer can decide on whether I want to purchase that food or not.”

Despite the changes, vendors and visitors alike enjoyed the event.

“It’s great, especially seeing the street packed,” vendor Shelby Wagnon said. “I think this is bigger than it was last year, it’s an incredible turnout this year.”

According to Riverfest’s website, the event draws in more than 100,000 attendees each year, and the economic impact of the event is estimated at over $13 million.