By Moses Leos III

After nearly a three-year hiatus, Kyle will bring back Market Days to Historic City Park in downtown April 11.
For Nathan Cross, co-owner of Cross Plants and Produce, the event’s return will help shine a light on Kyle-area small businesses.
“Our general consensus is that it gives Kyle residents something to do and to stay local,” Cross said. “It gives small businesses a chance to shine … it gives folks a chance to see what’s around them and to keep it local, which we like.”
The return of Market Days began during the 2015 fiscal year budget discussions. Kyle Parks and Recreation Director Kerry Urbanowicz said Mayor Todd Webster asked to bring back several events, including Market Days.
But patrons have been asking for the event’s return since its demise in 2011.
That year the city eliminated activities and events that were not “self-sustaining, that didn’t cover their own expenses,” according to Urbanowicz.
Kyle PARD’s budget for events was $6,000 for the year, which included staffing and other expenses. However, the city operated in the red, bringing in $1,500 from all events.
Kyle Market Days, along with the Easter Extravaganza, went on hiatus. City spokesperson Jerry Hendrix said a downturn in the economy also played a role in the events’ elimination.
Now the city plans to draw a higher number of vendors and focus on local, small businesses and farms. To do that, Kyle will prioritize set up in Historic City Park for small businesses that grow or make their products.
They also opted to move the event to the second Saturday of the month. According to Urbanowicz, the move wouldn’t conflict with the many surrounding farmers markets and market days.
He said those elements could play a part in attracting not only more patrons, but also a mix of vendors.
The city will partner with businesses to promote a theme each month. Kyle Market Days’ partners may include H-E-B, Hope and Love 4 Kids, Seton Medical Center Hays and the Kyle Area Chamber of Commerce.
Live music in the gazebo is also part of the plan.
For Cross, the event signifies a strong base for many small businesses. He said the city’s move to hold the event on the second Saturday was a “smart play.”
It also allows small businesses to get their names in the public consciousness.
But according to Kyle spokesperson Jerry Hendrix, there’s a return on the investment that’s “hard to put on paper.”
Drawing patrons to shop in the downtown corridor could be an added benefit.
“We thought it was a good event for the community,” Urbanowicz said. “It brought people out to downtown and vendors seemed to enjoy it.”