Main Street Harrison, Inc. 215 Harrison Avenue Harrison, Ohio 45030 513.367.5548 Prepared By: Taylor Lease With credit to: Joani Gritter Table of Contents I. Executive Summary 1 II. Client History 2 A. The National Main Street Center 2 B. Main Street Harrison 3 C. Harrison, Ohio 5 D. Current Retail Position 6 III. Statement of Objectives 9 IV. SWOT Analysis 9 A. Strengths 9 B. Weaknesses 10 C. Opportunities 10 D. Threats 11 V. Demographic Analysis 11 A. Quantitative Demographics 11 B. Qualitative Demographics 17 1. Harrison, Ohio 17 2. West Harrison, Indiana 19 3. Logan, Indiana 21 4. Bright, Indiana 22 C. Surveys 24 1. Business Surveys 24 2. Customer Surveys 25 3. Additional Surveys 26 VI. Award Winning Main Street Communities 27 A. Mansfield, Ohio 27 B. Staunton, Virginia 28 C. Encinitas, California 28 D. Danville, Kentucky 30 E. Elkader, Iowa 30 F. Coronado, California 31 G. Cordell, Oklahoma 32 H. Denton, Texas 32 I. Lanesboro, Minnesota 33 VII. Recommendations 34 A. Business Recruitment 34 B. Marketing 36 C. Business Collaboration 38 1. Listserv 38 2. Website 39 3. Forums 41 4. Publications 42 D. Community Theme 42 1. Recreational 42 2. Arts 45 3. Old-fashioned 46 4. Family Oriented 48 VIII. Conclusion 50 Appendices I. Executive Summary Our client, Main Street Harrison, Inc., presented our team with several issues to address concerning downtown Harrison, Ohio. Predominantly, the issues stem from a lack of understanding of the marketplace and ambiguous goals within the Main Street program. The economy of downtown Harrison has suffered due to these deficiencies. While the business district is currently struggling, we feel there is strong potential for the area to prosper. To begin the revitalization process, we have performed a SWOT analysis, conducted demographic research, examined successful Main Street communities, and produced several possible improvements for downtown Harrison. We examined both quantitative and qualitative demographic characteristics of Harrison and four neighboring communities to provide Main Street Harrison with an analysis of the marketplace. This information will enable downtown businesses to more appropriately target Harrison consumers. Based on our research, we developed four recommendations. The first proposed improvement focuses on strengthening the business recruitment process in order to increase the business mix in downtown. Second, we provided suggestions for improving the promotion of downtown businesses to increase customer traffic. Third, we recommended that Main Street Harrison provide a means of communication for downtown businesses to collaborate. Last, we created four different themes that could be successful if implemented in downtown Harrison. We believe these recommendations will change the environment of the downtown business district in Harrison. 1 II. Client History A. The National Main Street Center The National Main Street Center of the National Trust for Historic Preservation is a non-profit organization created by Congress in 1980. The National Main Street Center's mission is “to empower people, organizations and communities to achieve ongoing downtown and neighborhood district revitalization based upon the principles of self-determination, resource conservation and incremental transformation represented through the comprehensive Main Street approach”. The National Main Street Center achieves its mission by serving as an extensive network, linking Main Street communities around the country to provide information on the cumulative experiences of individual communities. Further, Main Street provides a monthly journal entitled Main Street News, a listserv, online web databases, research services, product and conference discounts, and access to grants and loans. According to the National Main Street Center, there are approximately 1,800 Main Street communities in the United States. The average length of a Main Street program within a community is 7.11 years. From 1980 to 2002, the total amount of public and private reinvestment in physical improvements in Main Street communities was $17,000,000. These investments in Main Street programs established 57,470 new businesses, created 231,682 jobs, and rehabilitated 93,734 buildings. Main Street charges $195 for a standard membership and $495 per year for an allied membership. A standard membership is open to anyone involved in revitalizing a traditional downtown commercial district. Members may include citizens, mayors, city planners, downtown managers, state government officials, chambers of commerce, 2 consultants, and other individuals. An allied membership is only open to product manufacturers and suppliers. The National Main Street Center of the National Trust for Historic Preservation is located at 1785 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20036. To contact, call (202) 588-6219 or email [email protected]. The Main Street program is based on the Main Street Four Point Approach, which is appropriately scaled to a community's local resources and conditions. The first point in the Main Street approach focuses on enhancing the physical appearance of the commercial district. This can be achieved by rehabilitating historic structures, promoting additional commercial construction, creating design control procedures for new buildings, and preparing for the future design of the commercial district. The second point in the approach is an effort to collaborate the groups who have a role in the development process. The third point is promoting the traditional commercial district's assets to customers, investors, new businesses, local citizens, and visitors. The final point in the Main Street approach is economic restructuring by expanding through new opportunities resulting from entrepreneurship, downtown cooperation, and civic concern. B. Main Street Harrison Main Street Harrison, Inc. was formed in 1991 to revitalize downtown Harrison, Ohio. Its objectives are consistent with the mission of the National Main Street Center, as described previously. Main Street Harrison fulfills three main functions for the city: developing the economy, marketing its businesses, and serving as the chamber of commerce and tourism bureau. The area it serves is enclosed by North State Street, Park 3 Avenue, North Washington Street, and East Broadway Street, as shown in the map provided by Mapquest.com below. Funding for Main Street Harrison is provided by the City of Harrison, local industry, Main Street membership, and fundraisers. Main Street Harrison consists of a board of directors with four committees: Organization, Promotion, Economic Restructuring, and Design. Currently, there is one paid employee, Collette Thompson, who oversees and participates in all Main Street activities. Another active contributor in Main Street Harrison is Merchant’s Bank and Trust, a local bank. Volunteers from Merchant’s Bank include financial advisor Trisha Porter and president Don Patterson. Collette, Trisha, and Don are enthusiastic and highly committed to the success of Main Street Harrison. Additionally, 200 local volunteers have assisted with Main Street Harrison’s tasks. However, the program lacks a consistent source of active volunteers. 4 Main Street Harrison’s board holds meetings on the fourth Tuesday of every month at 7pm at the Main Street office. Its office is located at 215 Harrison Avenue, Harrison, Ohio 45030 and can be contacted at (513) 367-5548. C. Harrison, Ohio Harrison, Ohio is a small rural city located on the outskirts of Cincinnati. Harrison lies in the Southwest Region of Ohio near the Indiana border. This quaint community is named for the ninth President of the United States and officially became a city in 1981. An area of four square miles is home to the city’s 10,000 residents, and an additional 2,000 residents live in the surrounding Indiana communities, including West Harrison, Logan, and Bright. 5 Despite its accessibility from several major interstates, downtown Harrison is seldom visited by tourists or its residents. As stated by Don Patterson, “Harrison is not the Garden City of Ohio.” The city does not have a major attraction to draw outsiders, and it is not on the way to or from any major city. Thus, the unique shops and historical atmosphere do not receive the level of traffic desired by the city. In addition to downtown Harrison, a shopping district exists within the city that is frequented by many local consumers. This area is commonly referred to as “The Hill” and includes essential retail establishments, such as a gas station and a grocery store. This retail area allows consumers to bypass downtown Harrison when shopping. D. Current Retail Position A thorough analysis of Harrison’s current retail sales will provide a great deal of useful information. This can be used in conjunction with the customer survey results to determine if downtown businesses are satisfying consumer wants and needs. It will also show potential opportunities for new businesses to enter the downtown market in sectors that are currently lacking. Data collected by the United States Census Bureau provided us with the information needed to conduct this analysis. 6 The following chart displays the most recent retail sales for Harrison: * indicates unavailable U.S. Census Bureau, 1997 Economic Census, Nov. 19, 1999 data Harrison, OH Type of Business Establishments Sales (Number) ($1,000) Motor vehicle & parts dealers 8 31,477 Used car dealers 2 * Furniture & home furnishings stores 1 * Electronics & appliance stores 1 * Building material & garden equipment