Last Saturday, Feb. 14, residents and tourists flocked to downtown Walla Walla for Brewfest. The annual event connects local brewers with Walla Walla businesses for an afternoon of tasting and perusing downtown storefronts. This year, the Downtown Walla Walla Foundation organized 18 breweries, each of which set up shop in other businesses downtown.
Cindy Frost, who works as the Events and Marketing director for the Downtown Walla Walla Foundation, oversees Brewfest each year. According to their website, the foundation’s mission is to “promote the history, culture and commerce of downtown Walla Walla.” For Frost, this means organizing events like Brewfest and bringing in customers to support local businesses.
According to the Walla Walla County Profile, county-wide employment fluctuates alongside the wine and tourism industries, both of which hire workers and boost Walla Walla’s local economy between April and October. In the off-season, businesses in the valley rely on local support to form their customer base.
Brewfest originated in 2019, when Frost met with local breweries to serve at Walla Walla’s Sweet Onion Festival, which takes place each July. As she organized with breweries, Frost instead elected to host an event dedicated to regional brewing. This idea eventually became Brewfest, which takes place each February.
In Frost’s view, Brewfest offers an annual boost in sales for the slower season between November and March. According to Frost, the event typically attracts an estimated 1200 attendees.
“The whole point of [Brewfest] was to do it in the shoulder season to bring people to town because a lot of the downtown businesses, they wouldn’t make it if we didn’t have that little surge [of customers],” Frost said.
This year, Brewfest welcomed visitors from across the Pacific Northwest to downtown businesses, though Frost also estimates that roughly half of those in attendance are Walla Walla residents.
“About 55 to 60% of [visitors] are from 50 miles or greater,” Frost said. “This year…a lot of Walla Walla people [ordered tickets early], but usually Walla Walla waits until the last minute because it’s here.”
While Frost views the event as a helpful boost that brings in visitors outside of wine season, others have shifted their business models to focus on Walla Walla residents — a customer base that remains active in the town year-round.
Jennifer Clapp, who co-founded The Mill and Moosie and Baha with Esam Ibrahim, tries to cater her businesses to Walla Walla residents. This month, Clapp registered as one of 38 restaurants in Walla Walla Restaurant Month in an effort to connect with locals and advertise her business.
“It can be a little quieter in the winter. I think what’s interesting is [that] we’re trying to drive routine every day with people,” Clapp said. “What I think is cool about Restaurant Month is it’s a way for businesses to interact with locals.”
As a small business owner, Clapp views this time of year as a way to engage with residents as she supports her business. The Mill’s featured menu item for Walla Walla Restaurant Month is a take-home date night bundle, which includes a bottle of wine and an entrée for two.
“[During] these quieter months, it’s an opportunity for us to interact with the locals versus the tourists,” Clapp said. “And so I think [Walla Walla Restaurant Month is] unique in that way. It’s not about being slower; it’s about being a little bit quieter so that the locals feel more comfortable interacting with local businesses.”
For Brewfest, The Mill served their usual grab-and-go snacks in preparation for the six breweries and attendees who hosted tastings in the Colville Showroom.
Sean Stroe, who co-owns and operates Fat Rolls with his wife, Melissa Stroe, prepared to serve pretzels and beer cheese at Brewfest last weekend. The pair typically serves their signature cinnamon rolls (aka Fat Rolls) in Walla Walla’s Farmers’ Market each summer. In the colder months, they operate out of The Garden Window located in Walawála Plaza.
According to Stroe, Brewfest also highlighted how downtown businesses help one another.
“We have quite a bit of business, but this is extra,” Stroe said. “I appreciate what Brewfest does for everybody else downtown. Somebody [walking downtown] may not have gone into a business had it not had a brewery in there, and I love that.”
Like Clapp and Frost, Stroe echoed the idea that Walla Walla residents remain essential to supporting local businesses. Despite events like Brewfest bringing visitors to town, Stroe believes that Fat Rolls’ newest customers reside in Walla Walla.
“I would say that we might get three or four tourists in a market, a normal market, every Saturday, which is not much. But I would say that we probably have four or five locals that said they’ve heard of us [but] just haven’t been down here,” Stroe said.
Stroe also added that roughly 25% of their customers are visiting Walla Walla, while the other 75% reside in town.
As downtown business owners served visiting brewers, visitors and locals alike at Brewfest last weekend, they shared various approaches to attracting customers. Featured menu items and the event created a welcoming atmosphere centered on local commerce.
