Local First leads the development of an economy grounded in local ownership that meets the basic needs of people, builds local wealth and social capital, functions in harmony with our ecosystem, and encourages joyful community life. Independently organized Local First programs define local as follows: Locally owned Privately held Headquartered in the community When making the case for why to
Retail promotions are designed to make cash registers ring for businesses. This is different from special events that draw people to an area but does not typically lead to direct spending at local businesses. Small Business Saturday is perhaps the best known example of a retail promotion, encouraging people to shop at small businesses the Saturday after Thanksgiving each year.
Trail connectivity provides a promotional funnel to attract customers and dollars to an area. Some routes are local in nature. Often loops are best, such as the Atlanta Belt Line, Dragons Tooth (Blacksburg, VA), and the Billy Goat Trail (Great Falls, MD). People can get on or off at any point and return to their point of origin by completing
By Isaac D. Kremer To purchase: Means, Mary. Main Street’s Comeback: And How it Can Come Back Again. HammonWood Press. 2020. The story of the revival of historic downtowns across the US is inextricably tied to Mary Means. In her role as Field Director for the National Trust for Historic Preservation covering the vast Midwest region of 10 states, she
Ample street parking has been given way to allow for expanded outdoor dining. The use of linked pop-up tents created sizeable areas in the right-of-way where larger structures would not fit.
This very substantial parklet on South Orange Ave, just over a block away from the South Orange Performing Arts Center provides a nice outdoor seating area near restaurants. The tactical use of large concrete barriers buffers it from nearby parking and traffic on either end. Also, location near a pre-existing bump-out expands the public realm further out beyond the limits
The BOB – which stands for “Big Old Building” – is a go to social and entertainment venue in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. They have creatively repurposed the space with dining, indoor and outdoor entertainment, and the new 20 Monroe Live space for up to 2580 people. The outdoor beer garden is more open than others we’ve seen and feels
