Local businesses join in St. Andrews to celebrate Art Break Day

BAY COUNTY, Fla. ( WMBB ) – People across the world gathered Friday to celebrate Art Break Day. It’s a chance for people to take a break to enjoy some free art experiences.

The rain didn’t stop Floriopolius from celebrating a day of creativity. The store held a community-wide event to get people to get in touch with their creative side.

Attendees were able to create a variety of art projects at no cost.

“Art break day is a worldwide day to celebrate art. To take, you know, a mental health day. To soothe your creative spirit. And we’ve been doing it for 12 years, maybe. So we take over all of St Andrew’s and put a free art experience at every location to get you to come down, cancel all your plans, and take a break for art. And visit St Andrew’s,” Floriopolius Creative Director, Heather Parker said.

Parker says the event is geared towards everyone, no matter their age.

“The projects are easy enough for anybody to do, even if they don’t call themselves an artist. Definitely, the kids like it and we’re still pushing to get all those adults to take that long lunch break and come do the projects before the kids get out of school,” Parker said.

It’s not just art businesses that are participating in Art Break Day. Merchants up and down St. Andrews took part in the event as well.

Over 40 businesses in St. Andrews participated in the event in some form or fashion, including Dan’s Pawn Shop. They had their very own prop set-up where people could pick up fun sunglasses or a fake beard.

They say these kinds of events strengthen the community.

“It brings fun, but it’s also family-friendly and it brings foot traffic. St Andrew’s competes like all good business districts for the goods and services of the greater community. But it also gives the merchants a sense of community because there’s over 40 something merchants that are participating in this Art Break Day today. St Andrew’s is a very vibrant commercial district now and it’s great that we could be a small part of that,” Dan’s Pawn Owner, Avery Adcock said.

The event ran from noon until 6 p.m.

Rain did not affect the turnout but Parker says she was still happy to see a lot of returning attendees at the event.

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