Market Day set for July 20

Mountain Brook retailers are not immune to the summer sales slump. 

But they try to counter it by hosting events like Market Day, a sidewalk sale that will be held for the 18th consecutive year on Saturday, July 20, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

On Market Day, businesses in Mountain Brook Village and Lane Parke offer steep discounts that are intended to drive traffic to their stores. 

It also allows them to clear out their inventory. 

“It’s an opportunity for merchants to get rid of a lot of things and get ready for fall,” said Suzan Doidge, Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce executive director. “It’s a pretty serious sale.”

Doidge said that Bromberg’s, Etc. and Table Matters are a few of the most popular destinations for shoppers on Market Day. She also mentioned Milla Boutique and Eleven and Eleven as two new stores that she expects to do well. 

Market Day will coincide with the state’s Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday. From July 19 to 21, the 9% sales tax is waived on a host of items that include apparel, computers, books and other school supplies. 

“All of our merchants said it was a good day for them,” Doidge said in regard to Market Day 2018. 

Jean Clayton, owner of Christine’s on Canterbury, started the event in the early 2000s to celebrate French Bastille Day. The event has evolved over the years and has become a major boon for business. 

Doidge said some merchants choose to have extended sales that begin the week prior to Market Day. On July 20, she recommends that people wake up and show up to nab the best deals. 

“The earlier, the better,” she said.