CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) – The Tom Tom Festival brings more than 200 events to Charlottesville over five days, drawing crowds to the downtown mall — but the impact on businesses in the area can vary.
“As a retailer, it doesn’t help our business at all,” said Joan Fenton, owner of J. Fenton Too. “But I think for the restaurants and just for the community, it’s a great event.”
Foot traffic from the festival doesn’t always translate into shopping bags, Fenton said. She said barriers like parking or not wanting to carry around shopping bags for festival goers can prevent people from coming by to shop…