Downtown Economics Newsletter – JANUARY, 2021. Before the pandemic, Latinx[1] entrepreneurs in numerous communities filled vacant downtowns with new businesses like grocery stores, restaurants, and variety stores. These new businesses contributed to increased economic activity and attracted foot traffic by bringing consumers back to the central business district and often appealing to a broad regional […]
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An Innovative Response to COVID-19 By Elizabeth Brodek* If we have gained anything from the pandemic, one of the most important and hopefully long-lasting is the successful collaboration of public and private sectors. Place makers, community organizers, and city officials have all had to become more creative and think further outside the box than we […]
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Restaurants have become a key element in the business mix of downtowns throughout Wisconsin and the U.S. Their growth has helped reestablish downtown as the central social district of our communities and they have been a major employer and a visible example of entrepreneurship at work.
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Downtown Economics Newsletter — APRIL, 2020. The Changing Facades of Downtown: A La Crosse, Wisconsin Success Story. By Andrea Schnick, Economic Development Planner, City of La Crosse.
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Downtown Economics Newsletter — JULY, 2019. Walkability Means Better Business Written by Katherine A. Westaby, AICP, Planner/Community Development Specialist, City of Platteville, Wisconsin. Contributors: Todd Johnson and Jennifer Stephany. Reviewers Pam Parish and Mary McPhetridge.
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Downtown Economics Newsletter – MARCH, 2016. Storemageddon: The end of retail as we know it.
An ever-larger number of communities are investing their economic development resources into attraction programs targeting retail and related businesses.
Downtown Economics Newsletter – JUNE, 2015. The University of Minnesota Extension Center for Community Vitality recently studied the retail market of 13 Greater Minnesota cities where a Walmart Supercenter opened between 2000 and 2008. Their research explores which types of retail and consumer services businesses have coexisted with the retail giant, as identified by openings […]
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What can we do to increase business activity in our downtown? Are there certain types of retail and service businesses that still make economic sense in our downtown given the proliferation of largeformat stores in other locations? What types of downtown businesses are in similar-size communities? What do we have that they don’t? One way to begin to answer these questions is to analyze the business mix in other communities with similar population. This article summarizes a University of Wisconsin–Extension (UWEX) staff paper titled Retail and Service Business Mix Analysis of Wisconsin’s Downtowns which analyzes the number and types of downtown establishments in over 300 of the state’s cities and villages. It provides a snapshot of business activity to stimulate ideas about business expansion and recruitment.
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Over the last decade, communities have experienced tremendous changes in the way food is produced, distributed and eaten. In light of these changes, many communities are re-connecting with their agricultural roots and culinary traditions as a way to revitalize downtowns, promote economic development, and build a stronger more resilient local food system. Increasing consumer and tourist interest in local, sustainably raised as well as “authentic,” place-based food and cultural experiences may represent a significant new market niche for downtowns. This issue provides an overview of best practices for communities to address food systems issues and capture dollars created by new trends in local foods and “culinary tourism.”
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A growing body of evidence suggests that the businesses most beneficial to a community are those that are independent and locally owned. This article provides an introduction to the potential economic, social, and environmental benefits provided by local business.
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