... but I just know Target would do so well here!

Many of you may know that within the past year or two the City Planning Department has taken the lead on retail recruitment, in conjunction with Carter County Tomorrow, to bring more retail options to Elizabethton and Carter County.

The entire recruitment process really takes two-step. First, we, must determine what our local economy can support. We do not want to bring in a big retailer then have them go out of business within a few years, after all. We also must determine where the retailer might be able to go and make contact with those property owners. Not every property is ideal for every type of retail business.

The second step is finding the retailer that matches our local criteria. In Elizabethton, for example, we have a need for more general merchandise stores; this would include stores like Kmart, Walmart, and Target. I have had multiple requests to bring a Target to Elizabethton. This is often followed by, "My friends and I would shop there all the time. I just know they would do so well here!"

Unfortunately, these stores are in this business to make money. They have determined which markets they should go in to make the most money and do not really care much about community incentives or how many people say they will shop at their store.

We then look at the requirements of each of the retail stores we want to recruit to determine if they are a match for us. Target, for example, requires a minimum of 40,000 people in a 3-mile radius of their location and an average household income of $45,000 before they will even consider looking to locate in your community.

In Elizabethton, we have about 19,927 people in a 3-mile radius and an average household income of $42,218. We could say we are half way to a Target!

Many times, we cannot provide the exact retailer our citizens desire simply because the business is not a match for the community. But we do strive to bring in retailers that provide the same or similar products and services and that are a good match for our community. What other retail opportunities would you like to see in Elizabethton? Let's talk about it!