Many downtowns are struggling to replace long established retailers who have left, as residents travel to larger centers and/or purchase over the Internet. These trends and population declines have challenged local officials and development groups to find new uses in the downtown areas, that will help them regain some status as the center of the community.
Five representatives from the Morrison Chamber of Commerce and Morrison Area Development Corporation recently participated in a workshop on Creative Enterprises and Downtown Prosperity. It was hosted by the Center for Governmental Affairs at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL. The goal was to help small and mid-size cities learn about working with businesses in the creative economy.
Speakers included Anne Katz, Director of Arts Wisconsin. She described many initiatives in which Wisconsin cities have successfully promoted tourism and stimulated local development. This was based on businesses involving creative arts such as local foods, crafts, writing, and other unique local talents in the area.
Workshop presentations also included converting industrial properties into arts-spaces and other creative ventures. A panel of business owners in Northern Illinois described their experiences with starting businesses in the creative economy and the assistance or support needed to make their businesses prosper. These types of businesses can be especially important in attracting tourists, but they also can improve the overall local quality of life in the cities.
Conference participants learned about successful practices in other areas, as well as how to work with new, smaller businesses that are emerging around specialty products and/or services. The hope of the conference organizers is that participants will implement new approaches for reviving their downtowns.
“The economy is changing, and small to mid-size towns must find ways to appeal to a different clientele. Increased attention paid to enterprises in the creative economy offers one such avenue that can be pursued,” said Norman Walzer, CGS Senior Research Scholar and co-organizer of the workshop. “We look forward to working more with these communities, as they identify markets and create businesses that help them prosper.”
More than 135 participants from Illinois and Wisconsin attended the workshop on Thursday, February 25, 2016.