Walking Main Street: Williamson Street is coming alive ahead of the summer months

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Small businesses on Williamson Street continue to press on through the pandemic, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, as winter turns to spring, and people get out of the house and around the Madison area.

For the business owners in this Eastside community, the easing of restrictions promises the return of foot traffic and events.

“The Willy Street community is very festival-focused in the summer; there seems to be a festival almost every week,” said Tim Staton, owner of The Cargo Bike Shop. “We are really looking forward to everyone coming back and enjoying those, not just people on Willy Street but people from everywhere.”

The vibrant life of Willy Street feeds off bustling sidewalks, new visitors and regulars crowding the local shops, the rush of people passing through the several blocks that are Williamson Street. Last year, most of that pulse died to barely a murmur, but it’s coming back.

“People are shopping, they’re eating, they’re out here,” said Greater Williamson Area Business Association President, Dr. J. Cheema. “Be out there, for others and for our community.”

After a very long 12 months, there is an exciting buzz on Willy Street, growing like the flowers that brighten storefronts and walkways up and down the street.

“I feeling that life’s coming back again,” said Cheema. " I look at the Tulips and think, ‘oh my gosh, that’s so great,’ they come back every year, and the flowers happen, but this year they seem so special.”

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