It’s the fall season, which means Mid Main Houston is once again continuing its mission of getting people over to their neck of the woods, for its monthly Mid Main First Thursdays block party.

Established in 2012, the recurring open-air soiree was created as a way to invite people over to the bustling Mid Main area (or “the island,” for people in the know), with its live venues (The Continental Club, Shoeshine Charley’s Big Top Lounge), bars (Double Trouble Coffee & Cocktails, The Daley), restaurants (Tacos A Go Go, Home Slice Pizza), and businesses (Sig’s Lagoon Record Shop, Big Kat’s Barbershop).

Mid Main Houston presents Mid Main First Thursdays

When: 6 p.m. Thursday
Where: 3500-3700 Main St..
Details: $10; 713-526-1999; midmainhouston.com

“We knew we had to create something that would attract people to come and live there and be part of the community and to help our small businesses thrive,” says real-estate developer/Mid Main co-creator Bob Schultz.

Enter marketing expert Lane Schultz, aka Bob’s wife of 20 years. “She’s been in the marketing business her whole career,” says Bob, who also credits her with coming up with the Mid Main name. “She said, ‘Well, I want to do a First Thursday.’ And so, of course, we said, ‘Whatever you want to do, let’s do it.’ And, so, she started putting together First Thursdays in a particular format.”

The first party was held in the side yard of the now-defunct eatery Natachee’s Supper n’ Punch (Winnie’s now occupies that spot), doubling as a benefit for a charity and nonprofit. It’s a tradition First Thursdays continues to this day, offering $10 wristbands for attendees to peruse every part of the party and giving all of the proceeds to a monthly partner, whether it’s Houston Pets Alive, the Dr. Marnie Rose Foundation and Midtown neighbor The Ensemble Theatre. Says Lane, “What we thought was if we benefited a nonprofit, we would be able to reach kind of beyond our neighborhood… and support other groups that maybe come out and patronize our businesses.”

As the monthly block party continued, the couple began incorporating art installations. They got artists to do pieces across the street at the community/performance space The Art Garden, eventually doing entire exhibits at Mid Main Gallery (which Lane curates), located in the Mid Main Lofts. The gallery has held solo and group exhibits, showcasing the work of creative folk like mixed-media artist Leslie DeHaven (who also works and bartends at the Big Top) and photographer Emily Jaschke (who also does digital marketing for Mid Main). The breezeway area next to the gallery has become homebase for the party, where people can wristbands and free beer (courtesy of Saint Arnold Brewing Co.), and listen to music being spun by a guest DJ.

Over on Winbern Street, you can find vendors selling their wares, decked-out Art Car vehicles (supplied by previous nonprofit partner The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art), and a stage for live bands – yet another place where you can catch live music on this night. “What we felt was that was a move that would really get the businesses more involved,” says Lane. “And we shifted the programming from the art garden to investing and programming in the businesses.”

The owners and operators are appreciative to Mid Main for the monthly foot traffic. Judy Masliyah, who runs the curio gift shop My Flaming Heart, certainly gets in the kick-back spirit whenever First Thursdays roll around. “It’s a great night,” says Masliyah. “You get people that just happen to be wandering by and, then, it’s a little festive and we usually give them wine, and they’re really surprised and delighted.”

First Thursdays will continue until November, then take its usual winter break before coming back with a trio of First Thursdays in the spring. They’re always down to support organizations helping to make the city better culturally and communally. “What we’re looking for are local non-profits – groups that help support the arts scene in Houston,” says Lane. “People that really give back to our community in a positive way.”

Of course, it always comes back to showing people, whether they’re neighbors or out-of-towners, how regularly on-and-popping these couple blocks can get. “When you go to other cities, there are places that you know to go to,” says Bob. “If you’re in New York, you go to East Village, and a lot of that has to do with small businesses and, then, the arts communities. We want to be a place in Houston where you can go there and be sure you’re going to run into something interesting, you know? And it’s because of the people and the fact that a lot of them are creating their own businesses there or they’re creating their own art and selling it – ot it’s just part of what goes on there.”

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This article originally published at Looking for an Inner Loop street party? Mid Main Houston’s First Thursdays returns for fall.