Does downtown Rogers benefit from the nonprofit group? The Main Street effect
Posted on Sunday, August 31, 2008
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette photograph by Bob Coleman Henrix Overcash paints the front of the Copy King store on South Second Street in Rogers. Overcash, the store manager, said they were taking advantage of the slower traffic on the street because of Frisco Fest to give the building a fresh coat of paint.
ROGERS - The clear blue sky in downtown Rogers is evidence of more than the lack of rain. It also means the Ferris wheel is gone, and with it, the Frisco Festival.
The masses, too, are gone, but the goal of the event - the hope of organizing group Main Street Rogers - was that those people would come back on their lunch breaks, after work, on weekends, that they would leave their money and leave with bags under their arms.
Praise and criticism about Main Street Rogers' effectiveness vary as much as the businesses in the historic district, but the number of people who come back after the carnival lights go out seems limited.
Inside the tiny Main Street Rogers office in City Hall, Marge Wolf and Sarah Mason work toward the next event, the Oct. 4 Fall Festival. Wolf won't be around when those festivities begin, as she's leaving to head the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank.
On its Web site, Main Street Rogers details what makes its efforts an economic success: "By encouraging building rehabilitation and preservation, and promoting economic development, our downtown has become the focal point of a variety of hometown events, including the Community Christmas Parade, Frisco Festival, Rogers High School Homecoming Parade, a Halloween Goblin Parade, and political and school activities."
While the Web site continually refers to economic development and business improvement, while detailing the nature of the organization, the site does not discuss customers, diners, shoppers, foot traffic, cash flow, income, buying or spending.
There is no way to measure Main Street Rogers' impact on the downtown's economy or even the number of shoppers, leaving the organization's effectiveness to be gauged by subjective observations.
"I have no way of judging that," Mason said.
Inside City Hall, Main Street Rogers' success is measured in awards. The trophies and plaques line the top of a metal filing cabinet in the office. Among them is the 2004 Great American Main Street Award.
"I think Main Street has proven its value over time," Mayor Steve Womack said. "Those things (like awards ) don't happen unless it has proven its worth to the community. There are some things that can't be measured."
Womack said that without Main Street Rogers, the downtown would feature a lack of vitality and a plethora of boarded-up windows.
"I don't even want to think of what it would look like," Womack said.
The city gives Main Street Rogers $ 50, 000 each year, as well as providing in-kind donations like the office in City Hall.
"If we didn't believe that it had value, we wouldn't subsidize it," Womack said.
Down on First Street, not quite noon on a Tuesday, Townzen's Barber Shop was filling up. Gary Townzen, who added councilman to his resume earlier this year, was holding court, conducting the discussion with a pair of scissors.
The shaggy-headed customers were all familiar, greeted by name as they entered. Townzen talked of relationships and religion, city hall and cookies. And each person who entered joined the narrative as if it had only been on pause since they were last there.
Townzen's a big fan of the Frisco Festival and other Main Street activities. He views them as a family reunion of sorts, bringing together people who have not gathered in some time.
"It's so neat to see people you haven't seen," he said.
But the customer base hasn't grown much for Townzen, even though he has heard people mention they did not realize his shop was where it has been for many years. He's gotten a few new customers from the Goblin Parade, mostly children.
Carolyn Joyce, owner of Dixieland Shoes, hasn't seen any change from the Main Street events.
"We have about our same customers all the time," she said.
The events that bring new people into her shop, she said, are those that happen at War Eagle and Beaver Lake, the ones that draw visitors from out of town.
Meanwhile, Joyce said, any increases in store traffic do not always mean more sales. People come inside the store to warm up during winter and to cool down in summer, she said.
The downturn in downtown will not be easily changed, she said.
"I think their work is cut out for them for downtown Rogers," Joyce said.
Rick White has been largely unaffected by what has gone on around him in downtown Rogers. The owner of White's Fine Jewelry said his business draws from its own source of customers, and business is always good. But he did appreciate Main Street Rogers' efforts in getting business names in the public consciousness.
"Anytime you put your name out there, anytime you get people who look, you put it in their mind," White said. "Everything that is done to promote always helps."
But Main Street Rogers might not deserve the brunt of the blame for the downtown's failure to grow. Kelly Alford, owner of Lavender Blu, said the city should be working harder to give Main Street an opportunity to succeed.
"The city needs to find a way to spark interest in downtown," she said, admitting she did not know how that could be done. Some of the basic tenets are clear to her, however.
"We need more retail," Alford said. "We need more restaurants."
Alford suggested offering incentives to draw certain types of businesses to downtown Rogers that would attract more shoppers.
Nathan Gairhan, chairman of the Main Street board, said it is unfair to expect the group to bring new customers to every business without also requiring the shop owners to take responsibility.
"It doesn't guarantee they'll come down to shop," Gairhan said. "It's up to the individual business to advertise and promote their businesses."
The pieces are already there, Gairhan said, to give downtown Rogers a different quality than any other part of the city.
"It's just a whole different niche," he said. "If you're looking for big-box retailers, they're out west and that side of town. There's professionals here, just a different mix. "
The woes of downtown Rogers and its businesses are not being ignored, Gairhan said. Both Main Street Rogers and the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce are trying to find solutions to the economic downturn.
Chamber Vice President Bethany Stephens said she's heard from many people who are struggling through the current economic downturn, but she noted subtle differences in their tone.
"Definitely there's a theme," Stephens said. "From some folks, you're going to hear a sense of frustration, from others, you'll hear, ' Wow, I'm glad somebody is trying to help. ."
The chamber has been facilitating discussion of downtown solutions during its Vision 2025 planning sessions. A meeting discussing the plan for downtown Rogers, possibly the final meeting on the topic, is scheduled for 5: 30 p.m. Wednesday at the chamber. The meeting is open to the public.
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