Make Batavia Boardwalk Shops your destination for summer shopping
Experience a delightful charm and whimsy you might find shopping in a seaside town without leaving the Fox Valley.
The Batavia Boardwalk Shops are now open for the fourth season, giving the community a chance to show its love for local businesses offering a variety of unique products and a one-of-a-kind shopping destination.
Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays through December. A collaborative partnership between Batavia Main Street and the City of Batavia, the shops were built by volunteer crews, with two of the frames constructed by building trades students from Batavia High School.
"The community has come to love the Boardwalk Shops," said Batavia MainStreet Executive Director Beth Walker. "They have become a shopping destination and a way for the community to support local entrepreneurs."
Nine shops are open for the season, with one weekly pop-up shop. Shops include:
• Gather Bakery: Specializing in artisan breads, pastries and treats.
• Thrown Threads: Two shops from last season, Dirty Clay Co. and Earth Knots, have joined forces to create this new shop which will feature handmade pottery and macramé; mugs, gorgeous weavings, macramé plant hangers and unique collaborative pieces.
• Signed by Crystal: Offering handmade home decor and gift items. Each product is crafted with care and attention to detail.
• Simply Kirious Soaps: Handmade artisan soaps, lotions, bath bombs, shampoo and conditioner bars, lip balms, beard products, and more!
• Benton & Main: Home decor and front door pieces inspired by nature.
• Fancy Nancy Boards: Beautiful charcuterie boards, from themed boards for special occasions or smaller on-the-go boxes and cups for a quick snack.
• Fox Valley Gallery of Wood: Local wood turners selling kitchen items, cutting boards, candle sticks, vases, commissioned pieces and more.
• The Blue Owl Market: Redesigned furniture, home decor and curated assortment of kitchen accessories.
• More Polish Pottery: High-quality Polish-made pottery, functional art made for every day.
The Boardwalk Shops give entrepreneurs a chance to incubate their business model, and receive support from the business community including monthly meetings, before moving into a brick-and-mortar shop. Since the inaugural 2020 season, 14 businesses opened permanent locations, according to Batavia Mainstreet.
Pulling off such an ambitious community endeavor would not be possible without the support of sponsors, including Gerald Auto Group.
"Gerald Auto Group is an amazing long-standing sponsor of the Boardwalk Shops and Batavia MainStreet," Walker said. "They are a perfect example of a big business truly invested in supporting small entrepreneurs. Gerald is invested in the community and it shows how much enthusiasm they bring to MainStreet events. Their presence makes our events better."
For Gerald Auto Group, being a Boardwalk sponsor is a win-win.
"This is such an exciting addition to Batavia that we look forward to supporting each year," said Donna Lawler of the Gerald Auto Group. "Local businesses, entrepreneurs and artisans enrich the community and we are proud to be part of the Boardwalk experience by showing our support."
For more information on the Batavia Boardwalk, visit downtownbatavia.com/batavia-boardwalk-shops. To learn more about the Gerald Auto Group, visit geraldcares.tumblr.com/likes.