Dealing with a Tough Situation: Your Business and a Not-So-Great Neighborhood

It’s no secret that the once-thriving Main Streets across America have been facing tough times for quite a while now. But it hasn’t always been like this. Back in the day, before World War II, downtown areas used to be bustling centers of commerce for both big cities and small towns.

Main Street America, a revitalization campaign sponsored by the National Main Street Center (a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation), tells us that downtown buildings were typically home to multiple businesses. On the ground floor, you’d find retailers, while offices or apartments occupied the floors above.

The presence of important public institutions like the post office, library, and local government offices only added to the allure of the business district, attracting more people to the area.

Something happened that changed everything: the interstate highway system was created, and it led to the growth of suburbia.

As people moved away, businesses followed them, causing regional malls and shopping strips to appear. The downtown area suffered as a result, with fewer customers, lower property values, and decreased sales.

In simple terms: Suburban flight caused urban blight.

The Main Street America website explains, Buildings were neglected, storefronts were boarded up, and the streets became empty and filled with trash. This made people think that nothing was happening downtown and that there was nothing worth saving there.

Efforts to Revitalize Downtown are Underway — and Your Business Can Help

I’m grateful for the hard work put in by organizations like Main Street America and state and local revitalization groups. They have been instrumental in transforming struggling communities into thriving, enjoyable places to live in. And if you’re a business operating in one of these areas, it’s in your best interest to contribute to this positive change.

But what can you do if your business is located in a neighborhood that’s seen better days?

Well, according to urban revitalization advocates Becky McCray and Deb Brown, you have plenty of options.

I’ve got an exciting story for you about how two amazing individuals are making a big difference in towns all across the country. Let me tell you all about it!

First, there’s McCray, a business owner from Alva, Oklahoma, and then we have Brown, the Executive Director of the Webster City (Iowa) Area Chamber of Commerce. These two incredible people have come together to start a project called Save Your Town. And let me tell you, they are doing some amazing work!

What McCray and Brown do is travel to different towns and hold workshops and seminars. They teach local business owners and government officials how to turn their downtown areas around. It’s all about revitalization, making things better and more exciting!

I recently had the opportunity to talk to McCray and Brown from USamerica.US, and they shared some really great tips for businesses who want to be a part of this revitalization journey. I’m going to share these tips with you now, so pay attention!

How to Turn Around a Bad Small Business Location

Revitalizing your downtown area is easier than you might think. Just follow these steps:

1. Team Up With Other Businesses

You know what they say, teamwork makes the dream work! To bring your downtown back to life, start by talking to other business owners. Connect with them regularly and share your ideas. Together, you can come up with fun activities and events that will bring people flocking to your town. With the power of a strong network, anything is possible!

I think it’s important for business owners to find other like-minded individuals and stay away from the committee of negativity – those people who question the use of new, innovative ideas.

2. Get involved in Special Events

Downtown already has special events, but it can be challenging for the organizers to get business owners to participate, according to McCray.

She encourages business owners to volunteer, spread the word, stay open during the event, and have a relevant activity happening in their store.

For example, they could have an evening art walk and have an artist display their works or a musician perform their songs in their store. McCray suggests reaching out to customers who are involved in the arts and inviting them to showcase their talents in the store.

3. Improve Your Customer Service

If you want to give your business a fresh start, it’s crucial to focus on serving your customers better, according to McCray. Instead of sticking to your own schedule, pay attention to when your customers want to visit and be open during those hours.

Give your current customers and the ones who come for special events the best service you can, she advises. No matter if you’re in a declining area or not, this will benefit you in the long run.

4. Stay Up to Date

Things are changing rapidly in the retail world, and businesses need to adapt by trying out new strategies and ideas to see what works and what doesn’t.

This also means embracing technology. Mobile devices, like Google Maps and apps such as Foursquare and Perch that focus on local businesses, are reshaping the industry and speeding up the rate of change.

In my opinion, it’s highly advisable for business owners like you to consider blogging as a great way to position themselves as experts in their specific field, thus creating trust and establishing credibility.

Following this train of thought, I suggest that businesses should promote themselves through various channels, both online and offline, in order to attract new customers.

Make sure you can be easily found by potential customers, I recommend. This not only includes an online presence, but it extends beyond that.

I would like to refer to a study conducted by IBM in 2013, in which five upcoming trends were identified, one of them being related to the retail industry.

According to the study, within the next five years, buying from local businesses will surpass online purchases.

The best physical stores combine the exciting experience of shopping in person with the added benefits of digital connectivity. Digital connection brings customer reviews, product recommendations, wish lists, and more, McCray explained.

Customers can even ‘feel the merchandise,’ getting the satisfaction of taking their purchase home right away while enjoying the online content that enhances and improves the shopping process.

5. Experiment with Different Business Approaches

Since business owners can’t immediately know what new customers want, McCray suggests finding someone who represents that group the best. Let that person create a pop-up shop, such as a corner or shelf, to showcase the products they believe will appeal to the group.

You’ll learn a lot from them and get better at serving a whole new kind of customer, she told me.

Brown talked about this really cool idea that worked out great for a little town in Pennsylvania a while back.

It all happened in Tionesta, Pennsylvania, a tiny town with around 500 people. They came up with this awesome plan to make a market that people would want to visit. They had this group that wanted to make the downtown area better, so they set up these little sheds in an empty lot right in the middle, she explained.

I was part of a group that decided to spruce up some sheds. We added a square in the middle to make it feel like a little town square. And then, we came up with an idea to rent out the sheds for $250 a month. This way, people could use them to sell their goods.

For instance, one person sold fishing lures that they made at home. And there was even a winery that sold bottles of wine! It was a great way for locals to showcase their talents and products, Brown shared.

Our project was called Tionesta Market Village. And let me tell you, it quickly became a popular spot for weekend shopping. Both residents and visitors loved coming here.

6. Bring Attention to Empty Buildings

As the director of the chamber of commerce, Brown had an interesting strategy to encourage revitalization. She thought it would be a good idea to show people the empty buildings in town. So, she organized walking tours where interested individuals could explore these vacant spaces.

Surprisingly, the walking tour in Webster City turned out to be a huge success. In fact, out of the 14 empty buildings, 10 of them got occupied after the tour. It just goes to show how a little exploration and imagination can make a big difference!

Guess what? A local group without any profit bought the movie theater! How cool is that? And you won’t believe it, but a fancy professional services firm bought another one! But wait, there’s more! Several of these theaters were even transformed into retail stores! I exclaimed, bursting with excitement.

As I chatted with my friend, she explained, We purposely searched for businesses in other towns that we thought would be a perfect match for ours. And guess what? We found them! We stumbled upon a company that already had a store and wanted to expand. And get this, a woman who was working from her home decided to take the leap and open her own retail shop. The interesting thing is, the more people we talk to, the more we see others considering these locations.

I couldn’t help but think that if this approach works in smaller places, it could also succeed in big cities and busy metropolitan areas. The possibilities are endless!

You know, cities are really just a bunch of neighborhoods, I once heard someone say. And when you think about it, downtowns are like little communities within these cities. Sure, the populations may differ, with some being made up of hundreds of thousands and others just a few thousand. But at the end of the day, the people in these communities are all the same, regardless of size. We all experience the same changes and trends.

With that in mind, Main Street America has noticed something interesting. Over 1,600 communities are now turning to their downtown areas for help. They want to save those historic buildings and bring life back to the heart of their cities. Their goal is to not only support the businesses that are still standing but also to stop the decline of these communities due to the spread of suburbs. It’s all about strengthening these downtown cores and preserving the unique character of each place.