Communities, big or small, have to improve themselves to stay relevant. This is a massive undertaking. The responsibility isn’t solely on the backs of the local government’s shoulders but on all of us as a community. Supporting local businesses, belonging, high standards, civic pride, and not settling for mediocrity.

Many want to see more locally owned businesses downtown, from cafes, bookstores, boutiques, specialty stores, live music venues, yoga studios, and more. These places offer opportunities for more significant social connections and boost our local economy.

Our downtown and community have dozens of empty retail fronts to be the home of locally owned businesses. Here’s the thing: nobody has to go at it alone. Our community has experts from builders, developers, bankers, private crowdfunding, and entrepreneurs. We need to build the ecosystem to bring this to life. If we collectively come together, we can do it.

We have stories from communities like ours that have done this, and we can see what success looks like. Creative ways exist to address the challenges of developing and sustaining small businesses in empty downtown buildings. First, we have to want it.