'First Friday' is happening on schedule at Railroad Square after tornadoes
'First Friday' is happening on schedule at Railroad Square after tornadoes
Businesses that have reopened in the Railroad Square Art District are getting ready for 'First Friday,' despite widespread tornado damage to the area.
Railroad Square’s monthly arts and culture festival is happening this Friday after tornadoes tore through Tallahassee less than a month ago.
“It was questionable if Railroad Square would get enough done to make it safe for the public,” said Laurie Suzuki, co-owner of a shop in the district. “But they’ve done a ton of work here.”
Over the last few weeks, cleanup crews have cleared debris from the district’s roadways and fenced off buildings that received major damage, allowing many businesses to reopen.
First Friday @ Railroad Square will take place on Friday, June 7 from 6-9 p.m. Festival-goers can expect food trucks, live music, an outdoor market and special discounts at small businesses that have reopened since the storms.
Parking is available along FAMU Way, as roadwork continues on a large section of Railroad Avenue. Additionally, a free shuttle service will transport people from a parking lot, located at 459 FAMU Way on Florida A&M University’s campus, near the FAMU Child Development Center. The shuttle will start transporting people at 5:30 p.m. and will run every 15 minutes. The last shuttle will leave the district at 9:15 p.m.
Arts and Cultural Experiences at Railroad Square is the nonprofit organization that hosts the free monthly festival.
“We invite everyone in the community to join us in supporting our local small creative businesses during this challenging time,” wrote Rebekah Hair-Stewart, director of ACERS, in a press release. “Together, we can make a meaningful difference and help our community thrive once again.”
The buildings that received significant damage will be closed off to the public. Many of the businesses that have reopened will welcome visitors on First Friday.
Laurie Suzuki co-owns The Bespoke Rabbit, a co-op store that sells vintage goods, artwork and home décor from local vendors, with her husband and daughter. The family is preparing for a “soft opening” in a new location on First Friday after the building they were in before the storms was damaged, she said. “When the tornado came through, we got a hole in our roof from a tree that landed on it.”
Suzuki, along with her husband and daughter, have been working to set up their new shop, which is located near the back of the district near the greenway. “We’ve been working hard,” she said. They’ve repainted the walls and floor in their new location, and they’re working on arranging inventory before the festival. “It'll definitely be an inviting space.”
To help compensate for revenue losses, they’re offering customers 20% off all merchandise during First Friday, Suzuki said. “We're just trying to stimulate a lot of sales,” she said. “We've been closed since the tornado.”
In addition to food trucks, visitors to Railroad Square this Friday can find something to eat and drink at the Food Hall, which houses food vendors, and Flamingoz A Taste of Miami, a Latin-fusion restaurant and bar.
Flamigoz opened about three weeks ago, soon after the tornadoes, said Mia Diamond, a manager and server at the restaurant. “We’ve been getting a lot of support, and a lot of people coming in and supporting the community.”
Customers have continued to order takeout and dine at the restaurant, as construction crews have worked on cleaning up other areas of the district over the last few weeks, Diamond said.
The restaurant serves a range of Latin dishes, including Peruvian and Honduran cuisine. “People love our churrasco,” she said. “It’s like an Argentinian skirt steak. It comes with chimichurri and two sides.”
Like other businesses in the district, Flamingoz is planning to offer special discounts on First Friday. “We’re going to have a bevy of specials,” Diamond said. “We’re really just hoping that everyone can come out for First Friday after the storm and really enjoy Railroad Square.”
Diamond says Flamigoz is committed to providing a space for people to enjoy themselves, even though many of the district’s galleries, shops and entertainment venues remain closed.
“I hope that they see a community that’s trying to rebuild,” she said. “The tornado hit a lot of local businesses hard, so we want to have that community for them here.”
Flippin’ Great Pinball, located near the back of the district, has also reopened. “We are open, and back to our normal business hours,” said Rob McDole, the arcade’s owner. “Our HVAC was damaged by the tornado, as we found out once power was restored.”
McDole says a new HVAC unit will be installed before Friday. “[We] should have a very cool store for First Friday.”
The arcade features two long rows of pinball machines and 1980s-era games, including Galaga, Ms. Pac-man and Ninja Turtles.
McDole says they’ll offer their usual First Friday special, which includes unlimited game play for $5 per person.
Railroad Square plans to offer an outdoor market for businesses that are working on reopening
Business owners that are working on getting their shops ready to reopen can set up tables and tents at an outdoor market in the district’s Greenway, located near the Food Hall.
Able Artists Gallery will set up tables during the festival on Friday and reopen at a new location in the district in July. The building that housed the gallery was mostly destroyed during the tornadoes and will be demolished. “The vast majority of our artwork was either destroyed or was too dangerous to retrieve,” said Karen Walker, who started the gallery with her daughter Lauren Walker. “My daughter’s art, most of that was wood. It made it through.”
Other artwork that survived was returned to artists who live in the area, Walker said. “We told them that if they wanted to come in and set up for First Friday that they were welcome to set up in in our space.”
During First Friday, Lauren Walker plans sell fractal-burned pieces, which include knives, birdhouses, decorative wall hangings, kitchen utensils, wooden toys, an electric guitar and more.
Walker, who sells her work at events and online under the name WillioWisps, uses a technique called fractal burning, which involves electrocuting wood and other materials that are first covered in a solution to create lighting- or tree-shaped designs.
“All of it’s electrocuted,” she said. The designs also glow in the dark “through bioluminescent dead algae.”
She and her mom started Able Artists Gallery to give people with disabilities a place to showcase and sell their artwork.
At the festival this Friday, they’ll collect donations to raise money for new materials that artists who lost their work can use to create new pieces.
“A lot of people called the gallery a safe spot,” she said. “I’m glad that people can get that back again.”