Let’s look at the tale of two small town concerts. Concert 1: We’ve done all the work, you just need to show up! One happened at an agritourism business. They brought in a couple of professional musicians for performances out at the farm. The musicians were reasonably well known, with some previous exposure on […]
Retailers: Fill all empty space, floor to ceiling
Empty space is an enemy of small town retail stores. Empty shelves and empty space make customers think you don’t have much to sell. They already think you don’t have much because that’s the stereotype of small town stores. You can combat this perception easily: fill all empty space, floor to ceiling. Secret: You […]
Shipping container businesses downtown: don’t make this big mistake
Lots of big cities have started shipping container business villages. I love the idea. But many of them are making a huge mistake that I don’t want to see small towns copy. The Big Mistake: Ignoring the street My friend Carlos Moreno of Tulsa, Oklahoma, pointed this out. Here’s a picture of the Boxyard in […]
Commerce builds communties
You’ve probably heard me say this one before: The best way to save your town is to start your own small business. I have four reasons that back that up: You’ll decide what values to put first More small businesses means more jobs* Locally-owned businesses are the key to local prosperity* You’ll return more […]
