Alternatives for Downtown
By Albert B. Kelly
Sometimes smaller is
better than bigger and less is more. This can be applied to many things, but in
this case I’m thinking about the challenges faced by small downtowns and our
downtown in particular. The current struggles of small downtowns have been some
time in the making- shaped by a number of things big and small.
Downtowns used to be the
center of the world for their respective communities. It was the place where
shopping got done and where people in the community got to connect with one
another. Downtowns had the variety that the market demanded because aside from
a few mail order options- think Montgomery Wards- there were no other options.
That started to change
after World War II. With a flood of GI’s returning to civilian life, one of the
critical issues was a housing shortage. Bill Levitt, seeing opportunity, bought
land and perfecting the mass production of houses, launched new suburbs
starting with “Levittown” on Long Island and in Bucks County PA.
Why is this important? With
new suburban housing, separate as it was from the inner city, came the concept
of a shopping mall- a one stop accommodation where families could do all their
shopping. With the migration of their customers, the larger retail stores followed
them out to the suburbs and into malls.
This became the new
normal- it changed what we expected as shoppers and consumers. It happened in
the large metro areas first, hollowing out their retail and commercial
districts, but eventually this trend impacted small cities like Bridgeton.
Beyond the shift to
suburbs, chain and big box stores, through sheer volume and economies of scale,
were able to discount products and show profit with less margin then the small “mom
and pop” stores. This got markedly worse with the internet and online shopping.
Over time for smaller
cities like Bridgeton, with these forces coming together, came demographic
change and with that came a cycle of decline- leading to negative perceptions-
leading to further decline- leading to more negative perceptions, ad nuseum.
The end of it was the hollowing-out of many small downtowns.
So what does that mean
going forward? It goes without saying that you never stop trying to attract new
brick and mortar businesses into downtown while working to retain the ones you
have. Things that once would have never been part of the equation- like the
college satellite makerspace- now become vital in bringing new people into
downtown.
But there’s more.
Sometimes it’s about adapting to the new normal and working with what you have.
In some ways, the country still has not recovered from the Great Recession.
Wall Street is doing fine and those at or near the top are in good shape, but for
everyone else credit is a lot harder to come by and getting started nearly
impossible.
For that reason, the focus
has to be more local- social investors, farmers, vendors, and micro
enterprises. That might well mean creating a framework with an easier entry
point whether that be kiosks or a bazaar market type venue- a place that allows
someone to get some traction in proportion to what they can do.
I recall the late Ron
“Blue” Bowman who started as just such a small vendor. Over time, with hard
work and persistence, he progressed and got his clothing business to the point
where he bought a building in downtown and opened Blue’s Spot.
But it starts with a
platform. We have a number of vacant lots in downtown. Perhaps it’s time to
consider just such a platform- a foundation- something to encourage the Ron
Bowman’s of the world to start down their own path to success.
Should brick and mortar
development present itself, a kiosk court or bazaar market is portable enough
to be relocated but until then, we’ll have put some vacant lots to good use and
provided the next generation of entrepreneurs with a starting place.
It’s a discussion worth
having and in the days and weeks ahead I hope to be working with our Main
Street partners, the Bridgeton Area Chamber of Commerce, our Hispanic Merchants
Organization, Council members and others to formulate a working plan.
It comes down to
alternatives. Until now, we’ve always looked “out there” for answers. But the
more I come to know our community- the more familiar I am with the talents and
ambitions of our residents- the more convinced that some of the answers are
moving among us.