Following closures and moves from downtown Iowa City businesses, the Iowa City Downtown District reported a boost in foot traffic in 2025.
A total of 9 million visits were recorded in the downtown district during 2025, based on data reports by Placer.ai, a platform that provides foot traffic insights from mobile devices.
A visit is recorded when a mobile device stays within the boundaries of the downtown district for more than 10 minutes. The software uses GPS, Wi-Fi, and cellular data information to determine the precise location of the device. Although the software does not track people, it makes it possible to see the movement of people within the downtown district.
The number of visits in 2025 is an improvement from previous years, reflecting an upward trend since 2023. In 2024, there were 8.5 million visits downtown, and 2023 saw 8.1 million visits. Betsy Potter, executive director of the Iowa City Downtown District, said these numbers show consistency.
Potter said the district relies on this data to understand daily traffic trends, particularly to evaluate the success of events and identify peak periods of activity. In 2025, weekends consistently dominated downtown traffic, illustrated by aggregate foot traffic data.
“Saturdays saw a little over 2 million visits, while Fridays recorded about 1.5 million,” Potter said. “During the week, Wednesday and Thursday were closer to about 1 million visits each, so there’s a definite weekend bump, but weekdays are still active.”
Major events also play a role in driving up traffic numbers. Home football games are some of the busiest days downtown, while holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving bring a noticeable dip, Potter said.
The downtown district puts on a number of events for businesses and their customers to participate in, including Taste of Iowa City, Shop Crawls, and Oktoberfest. These events attract traffic to businesses in the district.
“We saw extremely high success in all of the events we participated in through the district,” Maggy Moral, owner of clothing store Revival, said. “We are constantly getting new residents that are able to discover us and other businesses downtown.”
Beyond foot traffic, the district’s business landscape remained relatively steady in 2025.
The downtown vacancy rate hovered at around 4 percent, a figure Potter described as “low” compared to the national average of office spaces, which is around 14 percent. While this stability limited the number of new businesses entering the area, it also meant fewer closures overall.
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After 10 years in business, Cortado Mediterranean Cafe announced its closure on Instagram on Jan. 6. Cielo, a clothing store in the Iowa City Pedestrian Mall, announced its closing on Dec. 30.
“Due to many factors outside of our control, our business was hit very hard over the last couple of years,” Monica Ferguson, owner of Cielo, said. “Our biggest challenges were rising prices — everything from shopping bags to wholesale apparel went
up significantly.”
Ferguson said the Iowa City Downtown District was extremely helpful to her business, and community members did what they could to keep her business afloat.
“We absolutely loved being downtown in the Ped Mall. Our customers were amazing, and we made many friends and connections,” Ferguson said. “Iowa City is a very unique and exciting city, with a supportive small business community.”
While some businesses closed, other businesses moved locations within the Iowa City Downtown District. The former Active Endeavors location on Clinton Street became the relocated home for Fieldhouse Bar and Grill. Hazzard County Bar and Ten Thousand Villages also shifted locations within the district.
“We’ll likely see more business movement next year,” Potter said. “That’s not unusual. Closures happen for many reasons, including retirement or life changes, and that creates opportunities for new concepts.”
For Iowa City resident Bee Trevino, who frequents downtown multiple times per week, the district’s variety is what keeps her coming back. Trevino said downtown felt more lively in 2025 than it did in previous years, especially compared to the COVID-19 pandemic era.
“This year has felt very vibrant,” Trevino said. “COVID-19 really did a number on people’s social mobility, but downtown feels like a place people want to be again.”
The flexibility of downtown offerings allows visits at any time of day and many activities, Trevino said.
“I can go downtown at 8 a.m. to get a coffee, 2 p.m. for lunch and some shop hopping, and 8 p.m. for a show or just to meet up with friends at a bar,” Trevino said.
For Trevino, community engagement is important. She said recurring community events play a major role in drawing people downtown and sustaining local businesses.
“Events like Pride, the Block Party, and the Arts Festival are things that make Iowa City a great place to experience the benefits of a lively city while also fostering the tight-knit community of a smaller town,” Trevino said.