The Niles Star

Buchanan Nonpareil organizers have great expectations for second year

Buchanan will host its second Nonpareil event Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. featuring a multitude of artists and musical performances. (Photo submitted)

By JESSICA SIEFF

Niles Daily Star

The Buchanan Nonpareil event — showcasing area art, music and food — returns for its second year Saturday under some great expectations.

Those expectations being yet another successful run.

Last year, as the city’s downtown landscape was evolving into a revitalized retail area with new business owners restoring and reopening old abandoned buildings, those merchants and the Buchanan Downtown Development Authority put together an event to show visitors the town was “unequaled” in its character.

This year, they’re hoping to reiterate the message.

“This year we have more stores to show off,” said Debra Patzer, executive director of the Buchanan DDA. “We’ve expanded our artists and the music and it’s another opportunity for us to showcase what’s been going on since last year…

“We are hoping that we will have greater numbers than last year,” she added. “We feel with our agriculture, our access being to wine country, our growing number of antique and gift shops that we have and our history … that we’re really focused on art and culture and we want to get the word out to people who have those interests.”

The DDA and an organized group of downtown merchants do what they can to get the word out to local residents and aficionados in the outlying areas including the Chicago area and lakefront cities.

Their efforts brought in the crowds to make their way through downtown locations including Alan Robandt’s vintage and modern interior designs housed in the Union Block building and the Buchanan Fine Art Museum, FRONT and the strip’s food venues.

Jeff Antisdel, of the Buchanan Fine Art Museum, said there’s actually little pressure this year in pulling off a bigger and better event thanks to overall response.

“I think the pressure is reduced because people are coming back,” he said.

According to Antisdel, visitors to the downtown area have come from all over, including Ann Arbor and Saugatuck, Mich. and Mishawaka and Goshen, Ind.

“It’s gratifying,” he said. “Three years ago this place was like a ghost town,” he said.

Antisdel said Buchanan’s transformation has been “robust, in a word.”

Along downtown Buchanan’s Front Street strip, Antisdel said there are just three full-size spaces available.

“Then we’re at full capacity on Front Street,” he said. “That tells a story in itself.”

The town continue to offer up amenities to interested investors, he added, including the availability of bandwidth for prospective business owners and national historic designation, which provides opportunities on investments and “stabilizes property values.”

“Home values have been stable and more importantly — selling,” Antisdel said.

Saturday, however, is all about the culture as Nonpareil will show off a multitude of artists and their works, retail locations, eateries and live music.

“Come and meet the people of Buchanan,” Antisdel said. “Get to know the town.”

“It’s been a renaissance,” Antisdel said of the city’s rejuvenation. “And it continues.”