In March, La Jolla Village Merchants Association introduced Enjoya La Jolla, an upcoming monthly Saturday night twilight event promoting the Village.
“We’ve got a lot happening with marketing and we have done a lot of work,” said Jodi Rudick, LJVMA executive director. “We are very excited to bring Enjoya La Jolla, our sip, shop and stroll event, to the Village on the second Saturday of the month.”
Noting the event name is a “fun play on words,” Rudick pointed out research determined the new event would likely fare better if it were held earlier in the evening.
“We found that a 3 to 7 p.m. sunset theme was the best time to have it because people come to town for the sunsets, and we thought we could expand on that to bring them into the Village,” she said. “We want to develop a media plan involving public relations. This could be the magnet that gets people from outside to come out and find out what we’re all about.”
Rudick said Ace Parking has donated an entire parking structure at 888 Prospect St., to accommodate Enjoya La Jolla guests.
“That would give us almost 300 parking spots,” she said.”Our goal would be to direct people to the parking structure, so there would not be any of the traditional looking around for parking. It would give people an incentive to park in the garage, so they’re not out driving around blocking our streets.”
Rudick added Enjoya La Jolla could possibly spread out from Prospect and Girard to nearby side streets on Fay, Herschel and Ivanhoe.
Added Rudick, “We would be looking for entertainment sponsors to support street performers so the event would not have a staged feel. The idea is not to close down the streets, but for people to go on more of a scavenger hunt going from place to place, into your stores, and up the alleys.”
The inaugural Enjoya La Jolla will be Saturday, May 11 from 3 to 7 p.m. Like the previous La Jolla Nights in 2015-16, Enjoya La Jolla visitors will receive a “passport” from participating merchants offering guests special offers, refreshments and contests. Completed passports would be returned and entered into a contest to win a La Jolla weekend package.
LJVMA board also discussed ways to capitalize on the upcoming Concours D’Elegance. classic car show at the Cove April 12-14. Merchants have, for some time, been vetting ways to draw visitors for the special event into the Village to lodge, eat and shop.
“It’s an identity, a brand, that we can latch onto,” LJVMA president Brett Murphy said of the Concours. “It will create a better vibe in the Village, a better customer experience.” In other action: • LJVMA welcomed its first associate member, CPA Brian Earley in La Jolla Shores, to the fold.