Downtown Mobile’s shops and galleries are putting out the welcome mat this week for football fans in town for the GoDaddy.com Bowl, with nearly fifty downtown businesses joining a two-day Southern Hospitality Open House.
Two Days of Downtown Shopping
The open house runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, January 5 and 6, drawing in many of the roughly fifty retail outlets operating downtown. Organizers are pitching the district’s range — fine art, candy, vintage clothing, books, unique gifts and home-and-garden wares — to both bowl visitors and local shoppers. A participating-merchant list and map is available through downtownmobile.org.
The event is coordinated by Jennifer Cooley of Wellborn Ideas on behalf of the downtown merchant community.
Add a Matinee
The shopping push comes with a bonus for film fans: the Crescent Theater, currently showing True Grit, added special 2 p.m. matinees both days alongside its regular 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. showings.
The tie-in reflects how much of a boost the GoDaddy.com Bowl brings to downtown — with thousands of visitors arriving ahead of kickoff, merchants along Dauphin Street and beyond get a midweek showcase for the district’s independent retailers.