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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This presentation was given by Matt Kures at the 2007 National Main Street Conference. It discussess business structure and placement that will foster a downtown.
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This prentation was given by Bill Ryan and Matt Kures at the National Main Street Conference in 2006. It discusses different identification and implimentation strategies in revitalizing downtown.
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The intent of this paper by Steven Deller, Matt Kures and Bill Ryan is to apply the tools of Trade Area Analysis (TAA) to estimate several Wisconsin counties markets’ demand as well as supply from an aspatial perspective. Through this, the analysis is able to outline a set of simple strategies to help build on surpluses and address leakages. The tools offered here as well as the analysis should be considered one step in developing a complete understanding of the local retail and service market.
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The Jefferson County Office Study was conducted in Summer 2005 by the UW – Extension Center for Community and Economic Development to determine if communities with a county seat have a greater mix of businesses in their downtowns than comparably sized communities that are not county seats. The potential loss of downtown businesses resulting from the relocation of county offices has been raised as a potential issue by County, City of Jefferson, and civic leaders. The Jefferson Economic Development Consortium (JCEDC) is also seeking information on the impacts of government facilities in the downtown area and the JCEDC is sponsoring this study. This paper was written by Ryan Zigelbauer, Bill Ryan and Steve Grabow.
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Understanding economic development trends entails an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the existing retail market. By understanding the performance of the local retail market, local leaders and development practitioners can foster a more conducive environment for retail business development. This also becomes a base for further market analysis that can help current and future business operators make more informed business decisions. To achieve this end, numerous research tools have been developed and refined over the years to help identify retail strengths and weaknesses at the county level. In this article the tools of Trade Area Analysis are applied to the study of taxable retail sales in Wisconsin. These tools allow the analyst to estimate net inflows and outflows of retail dollars to/from counties.
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