Article: Perception can be a big obstacle to downtown revitalization
This article discusses the impact of perception on efforts to revitalize the downtown area of Hagerstown, MD.
Some tidbits from the article:
- For decades, two particular perceptions seemed to thwart every organized effort to revitalize downtown Hagerstown. One was that downtown Hagerstown was unsafe. The other was that parking was scarce.
- The question, those involved say, is whether local residents can overcome their previous perceptions and see downtown Hagerstown as that social mecca.
posted by Frank Williams @ 7:57 AM
2 Comments
2 Comments:
Greetings from Downtown Smithfield and great article Frank. Perception is reality…and that holds true for everything. In my talks about downtown, parking is always an issued raised. I challenge anyone that I can find a parking space anywhere downtown that is closer than a parking space in front of any Wal-Mart. The issue is two things…visibility and parallel parking. First, visibility. If you can see the front door, no matter how far away it is, there is a feeling you are there. If you have to park around the block and can’t see the front door, then there is a feeling you are on the other side of the world. Second, parallel parking. With the invention of strip parking centers and acres of asphalt parking, people just don’t know how to parallel park anymore. Thus, it intimidates that average driver and they avoid parking in those locations…which are predominately in downtowns.
Below is an article I would like to share with your readers. I wrote this a couple of years ago and it is still relevant today.
As we all know, over the last 10 or 15 years Johnston County has seen tremendous growth. Each year it seems the county is again mentioned in a national or state statistical “top 10” growth list for one reason or another.
The sheer fact that developers today are trying to emulate “a downtown” in their project reinforces the importance of what the Downtown Smithfield Development Corporation is doing every day.
Downtown Smithfield has a social, cultural, economic, political, and physical importance far beyond their downtown business districts. In a recent story The Chicago Tribune quoted an architect: “Shopping centers are very convenient when you want to buy something, but it misses the social factor.” And he’s right, of course - which we have known all along. Today, developers, public officials, architects, planners, and others increasingly recognize how important downtown is.
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, in North Carolina, 96% of the businesses have fewer than 100 employees; 77% employ fewer than 10. Over the past decade North Carolina's small businesses have accounted for as much as 80% of the net job growth. They provide over one-half of the private-sector employment and contribute nearly one-half of the gross state product. More importantly, the SBA states that locally owned businesses return about 60 cents out of every dollar of retail sales to the community. It’s the small independent, locally owned businesses that continually give back more than their fair share. Not necessarily because it makes good marketing or business sense, but because of their love and pride of their community…YOUR community.
They are the business owners who will repair the broken necklace that was purchased from their jewelry store. They are the business owners who will personally refund your money if you are not satisfied with your meal at their restaurant. They are the business owners who will service the lawn mower you purchased from their hardware store. They are the business owners who will hem your dress for the party this weekend. They are the business owners who will add a little more butter on your box of popcorn at the movies. They are the business owners who will not only sell your son a guitar but teach him how to play it as well. They are the business owners who will add a little extra scoop of ice cream to your cone. They are the business owners who will ask you how your sick parent is doing. They are the business owners who will stay open late if you are in their stores. They are the business owners who will deliver your medicine to your door at no extra cost. They will do all of this, not necessarily because it makes good marketing or business sense, but because of their love and pride of their community…YOUR community.
Community isn’t built from bricks. Community grows, organically, from people. I myself am a transplanted Johnstonian like most of the 140,000-plus citizens who call Johnston County home. We all have come to the area in search of the “days gone by” and we need to remember the businesses that support the same ideas and values we long for and cherish. Just something to think about while we are standing in the 25-minute check out line…
Chris: Thanks for the comment and for posting your article.
Readers: Chris is Executive Director of the Downtown Smithfield Development Corporation (www.downtownsmithfield.com).
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