In little Bucksport, ME (est. pop. 2,682), the closing of a paper mill in 2014 led to a round of soul searching. “That mill had really defined our community and defined our downtown for 80 years,” says Brook Minner, head of Main Street Bucksport. Bucksport has just one stoplight on its main street, and the…To read more — login/subscribe
Wondering what downtown retail will look like in 2020 and beyond? The team at Stores, the magazine of the National Retail Federation has published its annual consumer trends predictions for the year ahead. Two trends likely to impact downtowns are: Read the full article • Consumers’ appetite for resale and recommerce continues to grow. Figures…To read more — login/subscribe
The new Downtown Master Plan for Missoula, MT, reflects feedback and input from over 4,000 people. Now, as the city looks to redesign and expand the possible uses of its downtown parks, it is turning to a special group for input: Children. With templates of the parks as guides, children were asked paste pictures of…To read more — login/subscribe
The downtown associations in two historic city centers have joined forces to support each other and grow the region. View a brief interview with Ingram and Knepper on the benefits of co-marketing The cities of Sault Ste. Marie Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, are separated by just six miles and the International Bridge.…To read more — login/subscribe
As part of its ongoing downtown revitalization effort, the City of Stoughton, MA, has launched a storefront and sign improvement program. The work will be funded by an almost $600,000 grant from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Massachusetts CDBG Program. The grant will provide funding for four full sign and façade…To read more — login/subscribe
Novice or professional, individual or group, adult or youth, gingerbread house contests and displays appeal to virtually everyone. And viewing and voting can engage visitors of all ages as well. An exciting take on this classic downtown event, has teams of architects competing against each other while onlookers observe their techniques. In Houston, the Gingerbread…To read more — login/subscribe
As vacations become shorter, downtowns have opportunities to attract more local and micro-cation travelers. According to the 2019 Vacation Confidence Index, released by travel insurance company, Allianz Global Assistance, 57 percent of Americans did not take a vacation longer than four nights last year. Additionally, 21 percent of Millennials said their longest trips were three…To read more — login/subscribe
Deserved or not, many downtowns get bad raps. Crime, panhandling, a lack of parking, graffiti many city centers battle challenges to their reputations. How to respond? Savvy downtown marketers say the best approach is to swallow your pride, resist the temptation to shoot down the naysayers, and fully acknowledge your issues preferably with a bit…To read more — login/subscribe
Brett Roler still cringes when he recalls walking through a block that he considered one of the liveliest stretches of Memphis’ pedestrian mall. Roler, vice president of planning and development for the Downtown Memphis Commission, eavesdropped on the group of tourists strolling ahead of him — and he learned the visitors viewed the section of…To read more — login/subscribe
