LYNN — The city has spent the past few months partnering with the business program Creative Collective to support the creation of 14 outdoor dining areas at restaurants throughout the city.
The outdoor areas are uniquely designed to fit each location, ultimately maximizing accessibility for pedestrians and diners and supporting the goals of business owners.
The city and Creative Collective explored the possibility of outdoor dining at 21 different restaurants, and provided assistance in designing, building and decorating outdoor dining areas in the locations that worked.
Creative Collective connects and fosters the small business community and the creative workforce by providing opportunities, technical assistance and business support across Essex County.
More than half of the new outdoor dining areas that Creative Collective worked with are operated by women or are minority-owned businesses.
Mayor Thomas M. McGee said this effort has been a terrific opportunity to activate commercial corridors and rethink how to use the public realm in a way that better supports independent businesses.
“Our restaurants, which represent cuisines from all over the world, are a major draw to our downtown area, and this program increases the visibility and viability of these enterprises,” McGee said. “I am looking forward to exploring how we can establish a more permanent outdoor dining program in the future.”
Amalia Sanchez, owner of B Sweets Cakes and Desserts — one of the businesses incorporated in this outdoor dining program — said this project has made people stop and notice her business.
“We have been open for three years, and since the patio was installed, business has doubled,” Sanchez said. “People keep walking in and asking ‘When did you open?’ (and) then leave with a treat.”
Creative Collective also incorporated five local artists of color into this program, all of whom were contacted through a Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) artist database created as a part of a New England Foundation for the Arts grant project led by Creative Collective and the Lynn Museum.
The Collective instructed these artists on how to paint the street barriers and outdoor settings of the participating businesses.
“When the collective asked me if I would be interested in painting the barrier for my sister’s
restaurant, El Gran Jaguar, I jumped at the opportunity,” said Kimberly Bertrand. “I was able to meet truly talented artists, all of which were not only helpful but welcoming. For the first time in my life, I felt like a professional artist.”
Tia Cole, special events manager for Creative Collective, expressed the importance of the connection between the creative workforce, municipalities and economic development.
“Through this project, we were able to showcase the value of bringing in the creative workforce into the process,” Cole said. “Projects like this can put local people to work in their own communities, better activate our downtown economy and improve the overall quality of life.”
The businesses included in this project are Nightshade Noodle Bar, Phinix Kitchens & Lounge, Brickyard Bar and Grill, R.F. O’Sullivans, Rolly’s Tavern on the Square, Ciao; El Gran Jaguar, El Tikal Restaurant; El Tikal Bakery, B Sweets Cakes and Desserts, Vicky’s Restaurant, Los Chamos, Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee Co. and Rossetti’s.
This project has not only been supported by Creative Collective and small business owners, but also by MassDOT’s Shared Streets grant. Additional funding came from the city’s Office of Community Development and Economic Development and Industrial Corporation.
The city’s Planning Department, Department of Public Works, Law Office, License Commission and Police Department all provided necessary administrative support.
Allysha Dunnigan can be reached at [email protected].