• Survey of Rural Challenges
  • Small Town Speaker Becky McCray
  • Shop Local video
  • SaveYour.Town

Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource

A row of small town shops
  • Front Page
  • Latest stories
  • About
  • Guided Tour
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • RSS

Rural Tourism Trend: electric vehicle chargers can drive visitors

By Becky McCray

Electric vehicle chargers are a perfect place for tourism wayfinding signs. EV charging stations are popping up in lots of rural places, especially along interstate highways and along the coasts in the US. They’ve become relatively common at some motels as well. Chargers are also popping up globally in rural places. Deb Brown reported seeing […]

January 15, 2023 Filed Under: Best of, economic development, rural, tourism, trends Tagged With: Electric Vehicles, EV, EV Charging, placemaking, rural, tourism, trends, wayfinding

Tourism: Make the most of scant remains and “not much to see” sites with a look-through sign

By Becky McCray

Wide view of a prairie landscape with a walk-through gate in a fence

Here’s a tourism tip from a roadside stop from my long drive to visit rural communities in Eastern Colorado. The Santa Fe Trail wagon ruts are still visible near Lakin in Western Kansas. You can walk across the little dam, past the tree and right out to the original trail, but there isn’t a lot […]

October 11, 2022 Filed Under: Best of, economic development, rural, tourism Tagged With: historic, history, tourism

Make extra money from extra workspace: co-working and 3rd workplaces in small towns

By Becky McCray

  With more people working remotely, more people are working from places that are neither their offices or their homes. Cue the rise of the Third Workplace. You may remember “third places” as places you hangout that aren’t home and aren’t work. Coffee shops, bars and places like that. “Third workplaces” are places you work […]

March 28, 2022 Filed Under: Best of, economic development, entrepreneurship, ideas, rural, trends Tagged With: coworking, remote work, rural sourcing, third places, workshifting, zoom towns

Boost your maker economy with a “Made in” day

By Becky McCray

Newspaper story headline says, "Made in Dorrigo Markets a bustling success"

Dorrigo in New South Wales, Australia, population 1100, created an entire event to support local makers. David from the Red Dirt Distillery told us about Made in Dorrigo Day, where everything offered for sale had to be made, grown or produced in their local 2453 postcode area. Back in 2014 when they started, David said, […]

September 17, 2021 Filed Under: Best of, community, economic development, entrepreneurship, global, rural, shop local Tagged With: arts, Australia, craft, Dorrigo, makers, manufacturing, New South Wales, Red Dirt Distillery

« Previous Page
Next Page »

Howdy!

Glad you dropped in to the rural and small town business blog, established in 2006.

We want you to feel at home, so please take our guided tour.

Meet our authors on the About page.

Have something to say? You can give us a holler on the contact form.

If you would like permission to re-use an article you've read here, please make a Reprint Request.

Want to search our past articles? Catch up with the latest stories? Browse through the categories? All the good stuff is on the Front Page.

Partners

We partner with campaigns and organizations that we think best benefit rural small businesses. Logo with "Shop Indie Local"Move Your Money, bank local, invest localMulticolor logo with text that says "Global Entrepreneurship Week"Save Your Town logotype

Best of Small Biz Survival

A few people shopping in an attractive retail store in refurbished downtown building.

TREND 2025: Retail’s Big Split: what small town retailers can do now

99% of the best things you can do for your town don’t require anyone’s permission

Three kids in a canoe

Get started as an outdoor outfitter without breaking the bank

A shopkeeper and a customer share a laugh in a small store packed full of interesting home wares.

How to get customers in the door of small town and rural retail stores

Handmade afghan showing a dutch oven over a fire, with the words "7th Annual Dutch Oven Cook-Off and Fall Festival, Avard, Oklahoma"

How a ghost town made something from nothing with a folk festival

What makes a small town a micropolitan or nanopolitan?

More of the best of Small Biz Survival

Copyright © 2025 Becky McCray
Front Page · Log in