If you thought the courthouse lawn looked like a scene from a Hallmark movie last Thanksgiving weekend, you weren’t alone. Small businesses selling gifts, the sweetest letter writing to Santa station, and piping-hot mugs of hot chocolate made for a picture-perfect holiday event. Leesburg Movement, a newly-minted 501c3, organized the holiday market last year and plans to bring it back to the courthouse lawn this December (date to be announced). This year’s market will feature small businesses, primarily those with stores downtown, holiday activities, and sweet treats from local restaurants.
John Papp is the co-chair of Leesburg Movement and thinks the holiday season is a great time of year to remind everyone of the importance of shopping local. “Downtown Leesburg is surrounded by shopping centers anchored by big-box retailers,” he says. “We’re consistently reminding people that so much more money — 40 cents of every dollar spent more — goes back into your local community when you shop local.”
Whenever Leesburg Movement coordinates an event, the hope is that attendees make a day of it downtown. “There is so much to explore downtown with new businesses opening every month,” Vanessa Borg, Leesburg Movement co-chair says. “The hope is that people will come for the holiday market and stay for all of the other things our town has to offer.” The Movement will also continue its Leesburg Listening Room concert series in 2025 with four shows set for January through April. “Each show highlights regional artists while making historic downtown a destination for arts and cultural events.”
Organizing events like those is just one aspect of Leesburg Movement’s work in the town, with core values including:
- To create opportunity for people to start and grow businesses in a supportive, small-town environment
- To enhance the livability of the town for residents and visitors through events, amenities, and beautiful public spaces
- To preserve character by protecting the historic charm of downtown Leesburg
Another big initiative for 2025 is the Lassiter Way Beautification Project, which received a Virginia Main Street Community Vitality Grant in June. “Lassiter Way is often the first part of town that visitors see when they step out of the parking garage and head toward King Street,” John says. “We want to beautify the space to welcome people to town while also drawing them toward Market and Loudoun Streets. Experiencing all of our town attractions is always the goal.”
The alley will still be accessible to vehicles, but murals, lighting, planters, and benches will transform it into a more mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly area. “These improvements will also make it possible to close down the alley for small street festivals, and to relieve intense foot traffic on King Street during street closures,” Vanessa adds. “We hope the improvements will also benefit the restaurants that back up to Lassiter Way, as their back patio seating will become much more desirable once the project is complete.”
For more information on Leesburg Movement, follow them on Instagram at @leesburg_movement. (Their website is going live soon.) To get involved and join one of their committees, email [email protected].
This blog is written by Erin Weston, a guest writer from the Leesburg Movement.