Pleasanton’s First Weekends on Main is now a recurrent tradition in downtown Pleasanton. The tradition started first in 2020, when the Pleasanton Downtown Association (PDA) decided to close down Main street to support local businesses. It was received very well and gained support from locals, so the PDA made it a recurring event. 

“I loved how this tradition was kept throughout the years. Me and my family always enjoyed taking walks downtown. The ambiance is great. I also love that there’s always more sitting at the restaurants,” said Kira Rittmiller (‘24). 

This year, the weekends on main are only lasting for six weekends instead of ten. In 2022, the monthly events went on from May to December. However, earlier this year, the Pleasanton City Council decided to end the events in October. The decision was influenced by how retail stores and other businesses were struggling to receive deliveries for their inventory due to the closed street. 

“Weekends on Main are a great booster and promotion for the restaurant. It attracts many more people and is beneficial to us. But with a closed street, delivery companies struggle with finding the right road to our business. I, as a manager, have also heard complaints about the closed street from customers. There’s less parking space and more people are late for their reservation, which can ruin the flow of the night,” said Esteban Blancas, manager of Nonni’s Bistro downtown. 

The street closure leads people to have trouble finding parking, and delivery trucks need to plan their routes differently. It also takes away some spaces workers at local shops use during usual work days. These factors gradually begin affecting the businesses negatively. 

“Our deliveries have been rough due to the blocked roads. But the blocked roads can have its benefits by letting more people walk around and visit us. We also have the farmers market every Saturday, which attracts many to downtown, especially good customers. Unblocking the roads won’t really make us lose customers,” said Emily de la Peña, retail salesperson at Murphy’s Paw.