Want New Shopping in Elizabethton? Shop Local Now.

I hear a lot from citizens who ask me to bring in a particular retailer or restaurant. Right after the ask comes this comment, “If I want to shop/eat at that type of establishment I have to go to Johnson City or Bristol!” Let me tell you, I understand! There are times that I find myself going to Johnson City to eat or shop verses a local business. Sometimes it’s due to convenience (I’m already over there for another reason) while other times it’s intentional (I really want a big steak from Texas Roadhouse).

The concerning part is that new retailers and restaurants look at and gather information about how much money is spent in a community before they locate there. For example, if we were recruiting a Ruby Tuesday’s or Cheddar’s and we met all of their site requirements (population size, household income, available property, average age, traffic counts, etc), they would ask some of the existing businesses like Applebee’s, Fatz, and Beef O’Brady’s how business was and how, say, the Elizabethton Applebee’s compared to the other Applebee’s in Northeast Tennessee (did they have more sales than most, how many customers did they have on average, what was the most popular food item, etc). If Applebee’s here responded saying they are below the average for sales compared to the rest of Northeast Tennessee and Fatz says the same thing, that would cause Ruby Tuesday’s or Cheddar’s to seriously reconsider whether they want to location here in Elizabethton.

This story became a reality when a little over a year ago when we were trying to recruit an off-price department store. They were interested in coming into Elizabethton and felt that it would be a good market for this particular brand. Upon my final contact with the real estate manager, she had some concerns regarding information she had received from Peebles and Burkes regarding their sales verses what they anticipated them to be. With the closing of the Rue21 in Elizabethton and with the company having a sister brand located in Johnson City, they ultimately decided not to locate in Elizabethton at this time. Hopefully they will give us another look in a year!

This is one known example. I know that Peebles and Burkes may not have everything we all want, but all I ask is that you give local businesses a first shot. After all, you likely have to drive near or right past downtown or the West Elk commercial area to get to Johnson City! The same goes for our local restaurants. It’s fine to go to Johnson City or Bristol to celebrate an anniversary or maybe a birthday, but if you’re just short on time one Friday evening try to go to Fatz, Jiggy Rays, or Primo’s rather than Smokey Bones, Main Street Pizza, or Olive Garden in Johnson City. The more we spend in Elizabethton, the more we help Elizabethton grow. Let’s talk about it!

It's Time to Bring Main Street back to Elizabethton

You may have read a month ago about a meeting with the National Main Street and Tennessee Main Street Directors here in Elizabethton. This was the first meeting of a group of folks comprised of downtown businesses and significant stakeholders. We currently have this small group looking at the benefits, ramifications, and costs associated with bringing Elizabethton back into the Main Street program (we were once members back in the 90s) to help make downtown more cohesive and attractive for new business.

For those who are unfamiliar with the program, the Main Street program is a nation-wide program that helps communities revitalize their downtowns and other commercial districts using a four-point approach -- economic vitality, design, promotion, and organization. A committee is assigned to each of these four "pillars" as they are called. The committee is charged with working within the district to promote and develop their specific pillar. Additionally, a Main Street Director (paid position) must also be appointed to oversee the organization and implement the four pillars within the downtown district. The best way to describe this program is to use the idea of a mall. A mall is essentially a commercial "district" comprising of many separate and privately-owned businesses. Just like a mall has a company that manages the design or look, economic balance, and promotion and public perception of the mall, so too is the role of the Main Street Director and the Main Street board.

The Main Street program is a proven model that has been used across the country by hundreds of city and communities. The best part is the same model is proven for both small cities such as Jonesborough and larger cities like Murfreesboro or Kingsport. Because of the hundreds of cities that utilize the program nation-wide, joining the Main Street program gives us access to all those communities to discover what works and what doesn't work without having to try and find out ourselves. A small benefit of becoming a Main Street community is being able to obtain additional grants for downtown programs.

For Elizabethton, becoming a Main Street community provides an outlet for interested citizens to get involved in the success of downtown, a point person for downtown businesses wanting to develop a new festival or promotional event, and a group solely dedicated to seeing downtown grow and succeed. Just as successful malls have great management companies, the same applies to great downtowns. As our group moves forward to consider bringing this program to Elizabethton, we ask for your support and your involvement. After all, it's your downtown. Let's talk about it!