Stephen Reeve runs New York Cafe in Ketchikan, Alaska — the state’s longest operating restaurant. It was built more than 120 years ago by adventurer Tony Ohashi. This legacy business received funds from the Backing Historic Small Restaurants grant program in 2024. Grant funds were used to restore the restaurant’s facade and document its 120 year history,…Continue reading
Traditional economic development strategies focus on wooing corporations: the larger the better. Now, a small but growing number of cities are offering incentives to encourage individuals to relocate. MakeMyMove.com currently lists 106 communities with active relocation programs. For example: Baltimore, MD, is home to the Buying into Baltimore program, which offers $5,000 in down-payment and…Continue reading
Since its launch in 2010, Small Business Saturday, has marked the beginning of the holiday season for many downtowns. But it takes work to make it a big draw. "Trying to get people downtown for Small Business Saturday seems to be a losing proposition," says Abel Gomez head of New Jersey’s Downtown Plainfield. "Most consumers…Continue reading
A century ago, urban neighborhoods were filled with corner stores within walking distance of residents. Today, planners in cities as diverse as Seattle and Spokane, WA, and Auburn, ME, are working to bring grocery stores back to downtown neighborhoods. Corner stores "support a lot of great things that we also support, like compact growth, transportation…Continue reading
In Plainfield, NJ, the downtown organization has been reimagining its name, its image, and its mission. In a move aimed at making the group’s role more clear to the public, the Plainfield Special Improvement District renamed itself Downtown Plainfield. And the organization decided not to stop there — Downtown Plainfield realized that its faded branding…Continue reading
Foot and bicycle races of all kinds are popular downtown. Often they are standalone events, which take participants on routes through the city center. Others are part of a larger event such as the Turkey Trots held regularly on Black Friday. But downtowns across the country are also creating their own races based on local…Continue reading
In Raleigh, NC, the city is installing a new generation of garbage bins. Evanston, IL, is also upgrading its trash receptacles. And New York City is cajoling litterbugs to stop dropping trash on city streets. It’s an age-old battle with some new solutions. Downtown Raleigh has introduced trash, recycling, and cardboard, or TRAC, bins in…Continue reading
Since 2021, the former home of Joe’s Pizza in downtown Santa Cruz, CA, has been empty. A block away is another building that has stood vacant even longer, since 2018. In response, the city implemented a Downtown Vibrancy Ordinance, which requires owners of storefronts along the main street that have sat vacant for longer than…Continue reading
La Grande, OR, has undergone a business transformation in recent years. The downtown is now home to a winery with tasting room, a sticker manufacturer, a glassblowing studio, and a fabricator of custom bike wheels. Notice a trend? La Grande’s renaissance is being driven by small manufacturers. Timothy Bishop, La Grande’s economic development director, says…Continue reading
After decades providing free on-street parking, a small Michigan city, planned to install parking meters this summer. Then, in a dance familiar to many downtown leaders who have tried to raise parking rates, a public outcry ensued. Eventually, the city abandoned the plan. Many downtown leaders fear losing shoppers and other visitors if they implement…Continue reading
