Downtown Revitalization

I have been looking recently for articles and research on small town revitalization and came across an article that summarizes an earlier journal article by Bert Stitt. I have not been able to find the original article by Stitt, but I have sent an email off to Stitt to request a copy. I’ll see if I can locate the actual journal article by more traditional methods at a later time.

Dr. Besser has summarized the main beliefs that Stitt believes diminish the revitalization of downtown areas. I keep added my feelings in green italics below Dr. Bessers comments.

Community Connections News Release
Beliefs That Hinder Downtown Revitalization
December 23, 1996
by Terry L. Besser
Assistant professor and extension sociologist
Iowa State University Extension to Communities

Vital, hospitable and active downtowns provide communities with a source of pride and a location for congregating, socializing and dealing with community affairs. Towns without functioning downtowns become a collection of domiciles housing people who work, shop, socialize and seek entertainment elsewhere. These places may continue to be recognized as towns by mapmakers, but they are not the same kind of community we commonly associate with small towns. The whole community is affected by the nature of the downtown. It is for these reasons that downtown revitalization should concern the whole community and not just the local business owners.
In a recent article in Small Town (July-August 1996), Bert Stitt warns small town business owners and community leaders that belief in a set of common myths jeopardizes constructive steps to revitalize main street business districts. Stitt was the downtown development coordinator for the state of Wisconsin and is now a private consultant. The beliefs that follow are a condensation of his ideas.

Belief No. 1. People should shop locally.

Stitt maintains that for most merchants this is a hypocritical position. He challenges business owners who make this claim to turn away the business of all non-local customers. Anyhow, according to Stitt, scolding people to shop locally doesn’t work. It might influence a few people, but many others are put off by the preachy tone.

More importantly, concentrating on the "disloyalty" of local people diverts attention and energy from the constructive tasks of learning about potential and current customers, and what they want in terms of services and product selection. Stitt cautions that if business operators don’t understand and cater to the wants and needs of current and potential customers, they will not be successful in retaining the business of even the most loyal local residents.

I understand the idea behind “Think Monroe County First” which Columbia supports and was all that came to mind when I read Belief #1. I do believe the “Monroe County First” initiative has stayed clear of sounding preachy as described above. They offer promos and rewards for shopping local rather than saying shopping elsewhere is bad. The closest they come to “preachy” is pointing out the positives economically of spending your money in Monroe County and the negatives of spending it elsewhere.
I do think sometimes people here tend to make a point specifically regarding how they shop locally or wear it as a badge of honor that they shop locally. This was never the case when I lived in Edwardsville where people often drove to Fairview Heights for many years.

Belief No. 2. Lack of parking is the major obstacle to main street vitality.

According to this logic, the ample parking provided by the "super stores" and shopping malls is the major reason for their success and the demise of downtown businesses. Stitt recognizes that parking requires attention. Improvements such as the provision of adequate lighting and maintenance, good signage, enough open spaces, easy passage between street and businesses, and a sense of hospitality are important.

Even so, all the parking in the world will not by itself attract customers. In fact, if there is plenty of parking and no cars, people may suspect that the business is not open or that the products and services offered are undesirable. Customers are attracted to stores, in Stitt’s opinion, that provide desired products and services in a convenient, pleasant atmosphere. Adequate parking is a necessity, but not a sufficient factor alone for retail success.

The Main Street Improvement Plan addresses the improvements mentioned above. I feel parking is hardly an issue in Columbia, at least right now. If downtown becomes a bustling center of commerce then it may creep up in the future. We have plenty of side streets where people can park. Certain parking areas could use some “beautification” I suppose, but overall I think this is not yet an obstacle for Columbia.

Belief No 3. We need more jobs in town in order to revitalize the downtown.

The falsity of this claim is apparent by considering all of the towns that have more jobs available than residents looking for work, yet they still have deteriorating downtowns. Adding more jobs won’t necessarily add more population to the community, nor customers to the downtown. Where we work, live and shop are independent of each other in the modern era of highways and automobiles.

A recent study at Iowa State University revealed that in the average small town 47 percent of employed people work in another town, 50 percent shop someplace else for daily needs, 73 percent go to another town for entertainment, and almost nine out of ten of them shop elsewhere for big ticket items. Residents have the choice of doing business in their home town, their work town, towns conveniently located in between or in a larger adjoining metropolitan area. Where they shop will be determined by a combination of convenience, product mix, price, service and shopping atmosphere.

This point is clear in that I can name a few areas in the St. Louis area where they have great down-towns that people from all over drive to; Delmar Loop, Kirkwood, Old St. Charles, Grafton, & Alton come to mind. Increasing Columbia’s population does not mean our downtown will all of a sudden become more vibrant.

Regarding convenience and product mix I’ll be honest that I haven’t tried every option in Columbia or even Monroe County for that matter to buy things when I need them. I head up to Ace and buy things that they have when I need them and I must admit from time to time they have something the “big box stores” don’t. If I am on my way home from work or need drywall, 2x framing material, etc. Home Depot is hard to pass up. I think the important point is to understand Columbia will never provide us with everything we need or want and even if Columbia somehow does accomplish this feat we may not always shop here.

Belief No. 4. Downtowns are made up of independent business people.

This statement is not totally inaccurate. However, according to Stitt, successful main streets are usually populated by business owners who have put their fierce individualism aside to work together for their shared interests. Cooperation, not independence, characterizes vital small town business districts. Examples of cooperation include coordination of store front restorations, marketing strategies, product and service offerings; deciding on consistent hours of business; sharing information on technology, suppliers, customers; pooling resources to be able to afford consultants, renovations, employee training and benefits programs; and on and on.

The list of areas that could result in mutual benefit through cooperation is extensive. Stitt contends that business owners must learn to work effectively as a group for their own and the community’s welfare. They should understand how to conduct effective meetings, how to organize and sustain effective group activities, and how to deal with difficult people and contentious topics.

Assistance in learning these important meeting and group skills is available from your local Iowa State University county extension education director. In addition, the county director has access to information about many aspects of small town business success.

While I do think our businesses are working “together” I think that may only be to a point since many of the businesses downtown are in competition with each other. There are a few groups that are creating for the lack of a better term “coalitions” to work to bring attention to Columbia’s downtown. Our town provides an excellent resource in Paul Ellis to work to gain interest and resources to develop not only downtown but Columbia as a whole.

I have to say that Columbia has many events that happen downtown that attract gatherings, if not downtown than at Metter Park only one block off Main Street. I have not lived here as long as most but Columbia seems to be making strides at developing the downtown district.