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A decade after the Downtown Business Association took over management and promotion of First Thursday festivities in downtown Boise, there's one thing everyone can agree on: The popular event is a work in progress.<P>Started 18 years ago as a quarterly "gallery stroll" by a handful of Boise art gallery proprietors, the event gradually morphed into what is now known as First Thursday. Several downtown Boise merchants joined the galleries in extending their business hours and providing live entertainment and refreshments to entice customers into their stores.<P>For many, First Thursday has accomplished what was intended after the DBA assumed control of the event in the early '90s - bringing people downtown.<P>"It's great for business," said Joe Dewey, proprietor of Mosaic Gallery Wine Bar at Fifth and Main streets. "I plan for a full house that night. We basically do our typical weekend business three days in a row when First Thursday comes around."<P>Dewey capitalizes on the event's popularity by hosting in-house events, such as live jazz music or an upcoming wine-tasting planned with Basque Country Imports this month. <P>"Those of us that have restaurants or places for entertainment probably see a stronger showing," he said. "Obviously, it could be better if there was more to do, but I have a little place and I see a good response. I'm always happy."<P>Keven Burnett, the DBA's executive director, estimated that about 50 percent of downtown's merchants participate in First Thursday by either staging in-store activities of their own or merely keeping their doors open later.<P>"Obviously, having 100 percent of the stores and galleries being open is something we want, but I don't know if we'll ever get that," he said. <P>The DBA operates a free 'trolley' bus service during First Thursday that runs from the Boise Art Museum through much of downtown; it also helps promote the event through radio and newspaper advertising, brochures, and its website.<P>Burnett said he believes First Thursday serves the important role of helping dispel the old myth that downtown was always closed after 5 p.m. and on weekends, and offers no parking.<P>"It's a monthly showcase of what downtown has to offer," he said. "It's that shining day to show that downtown is really alive. Any time you get people downtown for any reason, it makes it easier for them to come back another time for something else."<P>The evolution of First Thursday hasn't pleased everyone. Randall Brown, gallery director of Brown's Gallery at Main and 11th Street, said First Thursday has strayed too far from its original goal, which was to gather together art enthusiasts who wanted to purchase artwork. <P>"We get 300 to 500 people through the gallery on a First Thursday night, which makes it difficult to conduct business," said Brown, who with his mother Gloria Brown were two of the original organizers of the Boise gallery strolls in the '80s.<P>Many people who come downtown for First Thursday do so more often for the free food and beverages offered by many retailers, including Brown's, he said - not necessarily to buy art.<P>"Body count does not make a successful event," Brown said. "It's nice to have a popular event, but I'd rather have one that pays the bills."<P>Misgivings aside, Brown said he still believes the "stroll" concept is a good one, allowing people who may never have been to a Boise gallery to retain a degree of anonymity in a large crowd and possibly come back later to purchase something they saw.<P>"I think the focus just needs to be more on the arts," he said. "It takes a little more planning and effort, but it should be promoted as a multidisciplinary, cultural event with activities like poetry readings, fashion shows and floral arranging and maybe some Boise Philharmonic folks." <P>"It shouldn't be made into a sidewalk sale," Brown said.<P>Cheri Lindley, founder of Lindley Glass Studio at 10th and Bannock streets, said she never expects to make a sale during First Thursday.<P>"It brings people in here who might not come in otherwise," she said. <P>"We'd love to have them buy something, but that's not the point," she said. "It gives people a chance to wander around, ask questions and get an education about what we do."<P>Lindley launches a month-long student show and competition in the store each September, beginning on First Thursday, allowing patrons to vote on glass art work crafted by her studio's students. The in-store event has become a nice tie-in to the original gallery-stroll concept, she said, and has helped give her business more exposure.<P>"I think people are short-sighted who only think about how much they can sell that night (during First Thursday)," Lindley said. "There's not an immediate payback, but they may call you back six months or a year later."