OXFORD, Miss. — The twenty-third annual Oxford Double Decker Arts Festival brings in local and out-of-state food vendors, artists, and musicians for the two-day event at the historic Courthouse Square.
Last year’s festival brought in crowds of an estimated 60,000 people, and this year is expected to do the same. In anticipation of these crowds, stores on the Square, such as JCG Apparel, are prepping for the event.
JCG employee Ashley Stidham said that preparation for the event started weeks ago, and they aren’t finished yet.
“We have been printing like thousands and thousands of shirts. That sounds like a crazy number, but it’s actually true,” said Stidham. “So printing a bunch of shirts, we’ve gotten them in the store and we’ve started tagging them and organizing them in the system and putting them in the back.”
Stidham said that managers from stores all over the Square have been meeting to plan how they will prepare for these crowds. However, for locals like K.C. Kellum, these crowds are exactly why she won’t be shopping during Double Decker.
“I try to get my shopping done beforehand because there are so many people in town that it becomes very frantic,” said Kellum.
Ole Miss student Sloane Reid, who has been going to the Double Decker Fest since she was in high school, feels differently on the matter.
“Seeing everyone come out and support local artists and businesses is very uplifting, and it reminds me why I love this town and its small-town feels,” said Reid.
With the crowds being a similar size to that of a home football game at Ole Miss, Stidham said the t-shirt store wasn’t feeling too overwhelmed by the increase in production.
“Most of the stuff we’re preparing the same way,” said Stidham. “It’s just a little bit different because we print Double Decker-themed shirts. We also have a wider variety of shirts, like more Oxford shirts rather than just Ole Miss shirts.”
While stores on the Square have different ways of getting ready for the crowds, they all prepare the same in one way.
“Safety and security, we’re all kind of prepped the same on that,” said Stidham. “It’s a very high-traffic weekend for all the stores on the Square, not just JCG.”
With high traffic comes a high chance of stores running out of products. However, Stidham said that JCG sells out of shirts in an unusual way.
“Usually it’s specific sizes we run out of, not specific shirts just because we have a wide variety,” said Stidham. “Mediums and larges are gone first.”
This competition for merchandise doesn’t bother Reid, who likes seeing others appreciate what Oxford has to offer.
“I definitely go to my favorite stores. I love to go in and see the deals and see people from out of town admiring the stores,” said Reid.
While working the store with such heavy traffic can be stressful, Stidham said that she’s actually excited to see all of the festival-goers.
“I love getting to know people and talking to people. I know a bunch of people are coming in from all over the place,” said Stidham. “I’m excited to see where everybody comes from, where Double Decker is pulling them in from.”
The Double Decker Arts Fest will be held in the end of April. To learn more about Double Decker or find out what artists, food vendors, and musicians will be at the festival, visit the Double Decker Fest website.
Story contributed by Julia Blake Anderson, Lauren Conley and Hannah Huff.
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