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“Downtown Fairhope is in decline,” asserted Glen LeRoy, long-time consultant to the city. “It’s at the tipping point. Prop it up now – it will be harder, if not impossible, later.”
This sobering assessment of the health of Fairhope’s unique business district was provided at the Jan. 8 work session of the city council. The topic was the revision of the Comprehensive Plan, but this shocker trumped all other discussion.
LeRoy continued sharing his downbeat observations of the downtown retail center. “Each trip here I notice that stores I remember have closed and what has replaced them is of lower quality,” he said.
When asked his thoughts on fixes, LeRoy started with the shop owners themselves. “The downtown merchants are a dysfunctional group and their association, ineffective.” Having quickly written off the ability of private leadership to pull the downtown out of its downward spiral, he told the assembled government leaders the city had to get directly involved in the solution.
The first step: hire an economic development director. This sort of action has never set well with the city council. But even after Council member Cecil Christenberry made the trenchant observation, “When government interferes with market forces it usually screws things up,” the consultant was firm in his position the merchants cannot save downtown and the city must do it.
There was no questioning of Glen LeRoy’s assessment as he has worked with the city for the better part of a decade on planning for the future and is highly regarded. So when he spoke, the city’s leaders listened – and then joined in with a barrage of suggestions:
Mayor Kant: Shops need to stay open later to allow two-income families to shop after work. (Most retail stores in Fairhope are open 10 to 5, five or six days a week).
Council President Gentle: Citizens and merchants need to be educated about shopping downtown – it’s not just for tourists.
Council Member Stankoski: There are too many professional offices in the retail district – they are like black holes.
Glen Leroy added: More restaurants and hotels are needed downtown – more residences too. Create a 24/7 environment.
Other ideas included getting the Single Tax Colony to lower rents, providing zoning incentives to get the right mix of residential, professional and retail downtown, even employing “secret shoppers” to improve customer service in Fairhope.
This was an energized and enthusiastic group – government in action, but pretty much out of sight or hearing of most of Fairhope. Although the meeting was open to the public, as required by law, there were only two or three residents attending. And only one newspaper represented – Lagniappe.
So the shock of his assessment hardly reverberated throughout the city. In fact, it was clear during interviews of business owners and residents that no one was even aware of LeRoy’s prediction. The Comprehensive Plan and its approval by the council was generally known, but the professional urban planner’s observations concerning the economic well-being of the only traditional downtown extent on the Eastern Shore was invisible to them.
But the many of the things LeRoy considered in coming to his conclusions are visible to even a casual visitor. The first and most obvious is the condition of many shops – both those empty and those occupied and open for business. Lots of shabby, old, poorly maintained properties. Many of them are in the principal retail area – along Fairhope Avenue and Section Street.
One substantial, highly visible property, empty and partially gutted, displays a sign promising to re-open after hurricane repairs. The hurricane referred to is Ivan. Not a sign of commercial vigor and vitality. Nor is the abandoned work site, which once promised mixed use retail-condo units, but now is just red clay and a “For Sale” sign.
The downward trend in quality noted by LeRoy is equally obvious to anyone who has been around town for a year or so. A rather elegant art gallery has been replaced by an antique mall that rents out booth space; an artist’s studio and gallery next became an old-time ice cream parlor and is now a local fast foot outlet. While an avant-garde gallery disappeared and returned as a mailing and printing shop. Lots of similar examples – indicators of a downward trend – the decline of downtown Fairhope.
But examining indicators and trends by no means provides predictive certainty. This type of analysis relies on years of data. A common shortcoming is that unique events get buried and smoothed over. A second deficiency is that recent changes go unrecognized – they initially appear as minor anomalies, often taking years for a new trend to be identified. And both of these conditions apply to LeRoy’s predictions for Fairhope.
The unique events are the two years of hurricanes and their economic impact on the city. While the emerging trend is represented by a new type of shop becoming more prevalent in Fairhope.
One small “shabby-chic” shop owner (the traditional Fairhope type of shop) commented that after Ivan, she had power, was open immediately after the storm, but didn’t have a single customer for weeks. It wasn’t as bad after Katrina, but it lasted longer with the flow of customers from The Grand cut off. Things were looking up – the Christmas buying season had recovered some of the sales lost earlier in the year but investing in shop fix-up wasn’t part of her plan.
When asked of her reaction to consultant-recommended longer hours and a longer work week, the owner looked irritated and replied: “I don’t make enough to hire someone and I want a life outside of this store.” Not an uncommon situation among the small-small businesses in Fairhope. It suggests, as Glen LeRoy advocated, that help is needed fast if shops like this one are to recover some of the luster associated with shopping in Fairhope
But there is another side to downtown Fairhope. Just around the corner on Fairhope Avenue is a new business that is an example of an upward trend. Bill Wismar, designer and goldsmith, opened his jewelry store and gallery, Metal Benders, about eight months ago. When asked how he was doing, he reported being way ahead of his sales projections. And what does he attribute his success to?
“Provide your customers with a nice place to shop,” he immediately replied. “Appearances are really important and the landlords shouldn’t be expected to do this for the tenants.”
“And when you have everything painted and well-lighted,” he added as he moved to the door to greet a customer just entering, “Welcome people to your business.”
His shop is bright and modern looking – although housed in the same old structure that is typical of downtown Fairhope. Merchandise is attractively displayed and all who enter are greeted like guests. Judging from customers’ expressions and animation, they enjoy the experience – it’s a fun place to be.
On the subject of longer hours to increase sales, Wismar said he had tried staying open later – even on Sunday – and enjoyed reasonable success.
Wismar did note an inhibiting factor. “The problem is that nobody knows shops are open beyond the customary 10 to 5, six days a week. Customers are surprised when they discover I’m open. Just a few other retail shops are doing this currently, but I understand it’s working for them too.”
He also admitted to being surprised by some buying patterns. “When I’ve been open on Sundays, the mornings have been really good – more sales then than for the rest of the day – not at all what I expected.”
Wismar would really like to see the downtown merchants commit to being open at least until 5:30 weekday evenings and on Sundays.
“I think that it is important enough to my business that I would be willing to hire someone to come in if the hours turned out to be more than I can handle,” he said.
Wismar has achieved business success in an unusually short time period. But his shop is not unique in offering an interesting, somewhat different product in an attractive setting, with friendly, knowledgeable salespeople. Other examples dot the streets of the downtown area. Church Mouse, Analece and Luke Edward & Company are just a few that come quickly to mind because of favorable comments from recent visitors.
The Wismar-type shops appear to be riding an upward trend – notwithstanding increased competition from new shopping malls that have opened from Spanish Fort to Gulf Shores. The other type of shop – older and somewhat competitively fragile – is doing far less well. But these shops are important to the well-being of the downtown and they need all the help they can get.
The council work session provided some thoughts from the government leadership on how to save Fairhope’s downtown, but what, if anything is the private sector doing? Is the Downtown Merchants’ Association “dysfunctional and ineffective” as Glen LeRoy claimed? A meeting with the president of the Downtown Merchants’ Association, Caroline Marney, suggests he may have been correct at a time in the past, but no longer.
Marney is owner of The Village Peddler – a kitchen equipment and supplies shop that also features cooking classes conducted by local chefs. The shop has a nicely laid out sales area with a modern kitchen toward the rear. Not as trendy looking as Wismar’s, but warm and welcoming. Marney was surprised her organization had been characterized as ineffective and dysfunctional, but added there had been dissention and loss of membership several years ago, which might have drawn LeRoy to that conclusion.
“I’m sure all of that is in the past and we have some good projects that will help our members and everyone downtown,” she said, closing the door on old problems and looking toward a successful future.
Marney went on to provide the basis for her optimism and confidence. “Mayor Kant has called for a meeting with the downtown merchants to discuss ways for the city to help advertise Fairhope businesses. This is pretty much a first for the city and I certainly welcome it.”
She also walked through the actions the association had already taken on its own to help downtown businesses.
“First, we have a new expanded shopping guide that shows the location of all of the downtown shops – not just our members. However, our members do get the added benefit of a short description of what they sell,” she said. “Second, we have a Web site that is linked to state and local sites. It sells Fairhope as a destination as well as laying out what the shops offer. And Third, we have been running a series of local radio ads.”
One major concern of hers – beyond the control of the merchants – is the condition of many of the downtown buildings. Improving the physical appearance and functionality of buildings in the downtown area needs to be a priority. Building owners should do their part in making Fairhope a more attractive place to visit by repairing the exteriors and upgrading the internal systems – heating and cooling, wiring and plumbing. This is a suggestion LeRoy – or anyone who has visited the city – would certainly endorse.
When you look at Fairhope today, you can see evidence of what LeRoy has described as signs of decline. But is it really decline or a form of transition? Many shops are doing well; they appear to have effectively responded to new competition and changing customer preferences.
There are shops in decline – some on the verge of closing down – but this has always been part of the Fairhope business scene. With help, many of these shops should be able make the transition and prosper. In the interim, think of them as imperfections in a sparking gemstone, with the real luster coming from a new generation of shops.
These shops, and yet-to-be-opened shops like them, can be expected to attract serious, affluent shoppers. And it is these shoppers who will provide a bright and shining future of all of downtown Fairhope.
Contact Pete Gleszer at jubilee@lagniappemobile.com.
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