Monday, July 6, 2009 - originally published in Dorchester Times
Can Small Towns Be Cool?
A recent posting on Small Biz Survival -- a blog dedicated to small and rural business interests -- reports on a presentation by Dave Ivan of Michigan State University Extension to the Michigan Small Town and Rural Development Conference. The question Ivan asked was "Can Small Towns Be Cool?" His answer: "You betcha!"
According to the article, Ivan showered attendees with ideas and examples gathered from community visits to more than 250 communities. The main point of his presentation (which can be viewed by clicking here) is that small towns can be cool if they are willing to follow some common success themes.
1. Strong Engagement Between Citizens, Community Organizations And Local Government. For example, in St. Joseph, Mich., approx. 8000 pop, city leaders holdneighborhood town hall gatherings in backyards all across town. They also produce a unified community calendar and hand-deliver it to residents. Coopersville, Mich., uses their town entry sign to salute a different nonprofit, business person, and teacher each quarter.
2. Local Entrepreneurial Investment. Ivan said this is often initiated by a local entrepreneurand then served as a tipping point to get others to invest. In New Carlisle, Indiana, Bill Owens expanded a floral shop into gifts, a furniture store, and transformed the community into a regional destination. This can also be a community initiative, such as economic gardening to grow entrepreneurs, where you may have village staff used to make things work for business. In Ord, Neb., they developed a wealth transfer plan to strategically fund their community economic development initiatives. By asking people to give 5% of their estate back to the community, they now have $8.5 million in hand or in pledges.
3. Willingness To Change. This may be the hardest part for many towns.These newopportunities may require changes in all sorts of local laws, including zoning. Suttons
4. Actively Pursues Cultural Elements To Economic Development. The most common cultural elements include the arts. In Three Oaks, Mich., the creatives are working to integrate with the existing parades and local celebrations. So it can work.
5. Cultural Efforts Reach Out To Community Youth. New York Mills, Minn., established a cultural center that capitalizes on the natural amenities.
6. A Deliberate Effort To Engage Youth. There is a continuum of efforts to involve youth. You can do things to youth, or do for youth, or do with youth, Ivan said. It can be tough to get a town moved along the continuum. One idea was to provide disposable cameras to young leaders. Ask them to take pictures of what they like and dislike about the town, and have them present it at a future meeting. Can you imagine the impact this could have?
7. Retaining Youth And Attracting Families. Create economic choices that are appealing to youth. Ord, Neb., for example, has a youth entrepreneurship program starting in grade schools. Brookfield gave kids a mailbox with their name on it. "Brookfield is always going to be your home town. Go out, explore, learn, but come home."
8. Conviction That, In The Long Run, You Must Do It Yourself. Cool small towns are not waiting for an outside savior. Argonia, Kan., lost their grocery store. But they built a community convenience and grocery store. They are now doing spec houses to sell at cost to new families. And if you enroll kids in the school, Argonia will even cover your closing costs. The mayor of St. Joseph, Ill., said, "We're always looking for projects we can't afford." That's a great development attitude!
According to the story, Grant Griffiths of Kansas asked about implementation. "Ideas are great and we have to have them. But how do we get them implemented in our rural towns?" Ivan's short answer on implementation was strong leadership. And don't let the CAVE people (Citizens Against Virtually Everything) define the community."
The best advice for all small towns wanting to be "cool" maybe a quote from President Theodore Roosevelt: "Do what you can with what you have and where you are." (We especially liked the "20 Ideas for Small Town Businesses" also presented by the Small Biz Survival blog.)
Posted by Village Dweller at 2:55 PM
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