When the city of Sebring, FL, completed its marketing plan in 2010, better outreach to locals and people visiting the area was identified as a key component in business retention and attraction. The strategies include: Developing a theme/brand that promotes downtown as a unique and sociable city, in order to enhance, strengthen, and establish new…Continue reading
A creative effort in St. Petersburg, FL, is supporting local healthcare workers and downtown businesses. The online Edge Guide selects one restaurant and one hospital or healthcare provider to participate each day. Meals are purchased from downtown businesses and delivered at no cost to the healthcare providers. As of late March, the program had raised…To read more — login/subscribe
The owner of 15 South Avenue in downtown New Canaan, CT, is seeking permission to convert second floor commercial space to residential. For years, both floors in the small building have been retail. Because of the low demand for retail space in the city center, the owner would like develop a one bedroom apartment. Many…Continue reading
In downtown Texarkana, TX (est. pop. 36,733), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) financed a $1.4 million redevelopment of the Hotel Grim, a 1925 building that was repurposed to include dozens of residential units. In Brockton, MA (est. pop. 95,740), HUD loaned $1.5 million for the Brockton Restaurant Infrastructure Fund. The program…To read more — login/subscribe
As the coronavirus shut down its city center, Memphis, TN (est. pop. 650,632), faced a mass extinction of small merchants. The Downtown Memphis Commission responded quickly, handing out short-term loans totaling $260,000 to 46 businesses. The program was designed to provide emergency funding for small businesses that might not have been able to receive larger…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
The post-pandemic real estate market has seen many changes, three major trends among them: Demand for retail space has softened. Employers are wavering in their commitment to office space. And housing demand is on fire. Those shifts explain why many downtowns are seeing developers repurpose commercial buildings for residential uses. In Manchester, NH (est. pop.…To read more — login/subscribe
More than a decade ago, Mankato, MN (est. pop. 42,093), kicked off a series of public art projects known as CityArt. A sculpture exhibit and walking tour are the centerpiece, but there are other public art initiatives, too. In 2021, the walking tour celebrated its 10th anniversary. The tour has stayed fresh for so long…To read more — login/subscribe
Guerilla placemaking initiatives are often low-cost, yet create a high-impact and unexpected vibrancy downtown with minimal municipal input. One example featured in the May issue of Downtown Promotion Reporter newsletter is the Eye Love You project, which, “connects people with people, and people with places.” The movement began in New Zealand, but has gone global.…Continue reading
Downtowns don’t always have the amenities to attract visitors and new residents, but that doesn’t have to stop them. Some are turning to arts and culture to create interesting, attractive city centers that will draw more people to the area.That’s been the case in Mineral Point, WI, a defunct mining town that has reinvented itself…Continue reading
