Cannon blast won't signal start of downtown Troy holiday shopping campaign

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Donna Abbott-Vlahos | Albany Business Review

According to the Downtown Troy Business Improvement District, downtown Troy is is about the same size, with equivalent parking and amenities, as malls in the region.

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Michael DeMasi

Reporter- Albany Business Review

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UPDATE: Organizers touting downtown Troy, New York as an alternative to shopping at the mall for Christmas won't be able to use a real cannon blast to kick off their campaign today.

City officials did not give their approval in time for the noontime ceremony, said Duncan Crary, a local publicist.

Instead, Crary said there will be a real cannon and a "symbolic" blast, just not one with black powder

"We may pull something out of our sleeves yet to make a BOOM," Crary said. "But it's all up in the air."

Today's ceremony kicks off "Mall-ternative," a downtown holiday shopping effort.

The event will include hoisting an "OPEN" flag and extended shopping hours at downtown stores. It's meant to revive a Troy custom that dates to the 1800s, organizers say.

Of course, back then downtown was the center of commerce.

Now, after decades of losing businesses and population to the suburbs, downtown is seeing a resurgence, thanks to new shops, restaurants and upscale apartments, with more on the way.

"If you look at all that's going on downtown, why would you go to a shopping mall?" said Erin Pihlaja, executive director of the Downtown Troy Business Improvement District (BID). "We're not trying to emulate Crossgates. We are an alternative to the mall."

The BID even produced a graphic showing a floor plan of the upper and lower levels of an average-sized mall superimposed over a map of downtown. According to the BID, the graphic shows downtown is is about the same size, with equivalent parking and amenities.

The graphic lists upcoming events, including the popular Dec. 7 Victorian Stroll.

Business owners are being asked to put a decorative green light bulb in their windows Nov. 28 indicating they are staying open later that day.

DeMasi covers real estate, construction, retail and hospitality.