Mom and pop shops are a big part of our American culture. It’s the picture many of us conjure up when we visualize main street America– very Normal Rockwell. But today technology has dramatically changed the small business landscape to the point where you might think the family-owned business — the corner grocery store so […]
How cozy are you with your local planning commission, city council or county officials? If you want to preserve existing small businesses and the look of a local business district that has evolved over many years, those are the decision makers you need on your side. While it’s popular to blame national big-box retailers for […]
I’m always sad to see community business districts deteriorate into ghost towns. The once vibrant main street in my hometown is now practically deserted. The Ben Franklin store where I used to buy all sorts of treasures is a pawn shop, pizza restaurant and tatoo parlor. (For you youngsters, Ben Franklin was what was known […]
This past week I saw an inspiring news story about the success of a downtown business district in a small community in the St. Louis, MO area. Only two retail spaces were vacant in this small town. That’s in sharp contrast to many small town main streets with boarded up buildings and a ghost town […]