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Innovative Downtown Businesses

There is hope for increasing business activity and bringing people back downtown. A number of vibrant communities have retained and increased retail activity in their central business districts by focusing on unique and innovative businesses. These vibrant downtowns often have a number of retail and service establishments that are able to successfully co-exist with the retail giants by building on their downtown’s unique sense of place and by offering products and services not found in the big box stores. The Innovative Downtown Business clearing house maintained by UW-Extension CCED can be found at https://fyi.extension.wisc.edu/innovativedowntownbusinesses/

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Wal-Mart Unveils Community Store Design Strategy

Big box retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target have inundated the retail sector in recent years. In fact, a Multi-Market Study performed by Scarborough Research found that “more than four in five U.S. adults over the age of 18 shop at Wal-Mart, Target or both,” representing shoppers from every income level and demographic group.

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Seven Components of a Successful Business Incubator

Business incubators are facilities that provide small,entrepreneurial businesses with affordable space, shared support and business development services. They can help young businesses during their start-up period when
they are most financially vulnerable. While not a panacea for a community’s economic struggles, incubators can
provide a boost to small business and promote entrepreneurship. The following are seven components of a successful incubator from Colin Barrow’s Incubators: A Realist’s Guide to the World’s New Business Accelerators.

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E-Commerce: Opportunities for Small Retailers

As more Americans gain access to the Internet, small retailers are finding it lucrative to expand their business and selling capabilities online within the growing ecommerce market. Though e-commerce only accounts for a small percentage of overall retail sales, the trend is gaining popularity among businesses and consumers as people become more comfortable with shopping on the Internet. Online shopping represents an unknown variable in the retail equation, but one with great growth potential. It is expected that online retailing will increase by more than ten percent per year as “E-ignorance” no longer acts as a significant barrier

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Challenges Ahead for Small Independent Retailers

“Challenges of the Future” is a white paper offering strategies for the future survival and growth of independent retailers.* It is based on expert interviews and a series of case studies with successful independents in a variety of merchandise lines around the country. It explores the evolving nature of small independent retail in the U.S. and documents how many small retailers are creating successes that are richly creative and widely beneficial. This article summaries the second part of the paper – the challenges ahead and new solutions to address them.

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Why Independent Businesses are Important

As large retail chains have grown in number, consolidated, and expanded their market share, many locally owned independent businesses have closed their doors. This has resulted in the displacement of tens of thousands of locally owned and independent businesses. Although independent retail has declined in recent years, locally owned businesses still command a substantial share of economic activity and resources. There are reasons why they should not be forgotten. According to Stacy Mitchell of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, the ten reasons summarized in this issue explain why locally owned businesses are important.

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Keeping the Movies Downtown

Recent trends in the movie exhibition industry emphasize new facilities with 16 or more screens, multiple story stadium seating and digital sound and picture. While these theatre concepts may work well in large metropolitan areas, they fail in smaller cities. Regardless of the trends, smaller cities and towns still feature viable downtown theatres that provide gathering places and centers of affordable entertainment for all ages. These theatres range from long-running single-screen theatres and newer multiplexes, to non-profit or cooperative theatres and even city-run movie houses. In this article are examples of successful theatres in small city downtowns employing a variety of strategies to keep the movie house lights on.

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