Keeping Main Street Alive. Why Storefronts Close, and How Community Choice Makes the Difference

I follow many small communities on their social media pages, and I’ve noticed a trend. If a store closes, the locals attack the Council, blaming them for the lack of business within their community. Here is the thing though…the Council has very little control over private business, that control lies solely within the community itself and the business owner.

Every business juggles a complex mix of factors to determine whether they keep going. Passion alone doesn’t keep the lights on. The number of people who use their services or buy their goods is what makes the difference.

What Council Can—and Can’t—Do

Most Council’s work hard to keep their communities going, but they cannot guarantee any business success.

What Council Can Do:

1. Make rents of the buildings they own affordable.

2. Upgrade streetscapes, signage and public parking

3. Offer façade grants, or low interest loans for main street beautification

4. Run “open-for-business” marketing campaigns and tourism outreach

What Council Cannot Do:

1. Make your bank stay.

2. Force residents to shop local.

3. Manage a shop’s daily pricing, inventory or staffing choices

In short, Council can reduce barriers to investment, but they cannot provide the customers that a business needs to be viable. No matter how many grants, parking upgrades or incentives to investment councils provide, a main street needs customers. You can’t have it both ways, complain about the bank closing and still click “add to cart” at 2 a.m. The power to revive our storefronts rests in our collective choices.