 
Economic Development Planning Charrette funded for the City of Canton, April 30-May 3
Economic Development Planning Charrette funded for the City of Canton, April 30-May 3
The City of Canton recently announced some exciting 'new year' news. An economic development planning charrette, conducted by the Mississippi Main Street Association (MMSA), will be fully funded by the Madison County Economic Development Authority (MCEDA). The dates of the charrette will be April 30-May 3, 2012.
Mayor William Truly, Mayor of Canton, Lise Foy, Executive Director of the Canton Chamber Main Street Association; John Wallace, CEO of the Canton Municipal Utilities and Jeff Ross, 2011 President of Canton Chamber Main Street visited the City of Columbus with MMSA on November 7 to learn firsthand how that community used the Main Street Charrette Process to develop a longterm plan for development of their community.
"It was quite evident that progress requires a team effort and that it is an incremental process," said Lise Foy, Director of the Canton Chamber Main Street Association. "We learned about how Columbus is working on infrastructure projects, landscaping and design projects, how they are capitalizing on their assets like upper story housing and using natural resources to develop public spaces."
"It was a great learning experience!" Foy said. "They continue to use the plan that was developed for them."
Upon the group's return, Mayor Truly requested to be put on the agenda of the MCEDA board meeting held on December 8 to present a proposal to fund an Economic Development Planning Charrette for the City of Canton. The MCEDA Board approved the request in full.
The charrette will be faciliated by Randy Wilson, MMSA Director of Design Services, and a team of Main Street, design and marketing professionals. Public participation is encouraged during the charrette, and there will be an initial town meeting for public input as well as several smaller meetings with City stakeholders before the public presentation on the final evening.
For more information on the Canton charrette, please contact:
Lise Foy
Executive Director
Canton Chamber Main Street Association
100 Depot Drive
Canton, MS 39046
601-859-5816
http://www.canton-mississippi.com
Mount Olive receives Transportation Enhancement grant
Mount Olive receives Transportation Enhancement grant
In November 2011, the Town of Mount Olive received a Transportation Enhancement Funding Grant from the Mississippi Department of Transportation to extend its tree-lined boulevard through downtown Mount Olive. This grant requires matching funding from the town of Mount Olive.
The non-profit organization City Beautiful in Mount Olive pledged to help raise this matching funding by having fund raising events.
"Mount Olive is moving forward!" said one Mount Olive committee member. "This dream is actually going to become a reality. We so appreciate the ideas from the charrette team. We have hope of our little town coming alive again...thanks to the charrette."
"The Town of Mount Olive is very excited and never believed that something like this would be happening in their town," said Stacy Pair, Southern District Director for Mississippi Main Street. "They have formed a committee that is in charge of the landscaping and they are ready to move."
"Mount Olive was one of three cities that the MMSA Charrette Team worked with in Covington County in 2009," said Jeremy Murdock of the MSU Stennis Institute. "The team recommended that the county use their three big assets: the river, the rail and the road. Mount Olive's asset was the road. The town had the nice boulevard that extended up to the downtown but not through it. The team recommended that they extend the boulevard into the downtown and expand their most unique feature."
As a result of the charrette, the Mount Olive steering committee applied for the grant and received in in November 2011.
Team members included Ben Muldrow of Arnett Muldrow, Jeremy Murdock of the MSU Stennis Institute, Andy Kalback of Kalback Design, Randy Wilson of Community Design Solutions and Stacy Pair of Mississippi main Street Association.
By Jeannie Waller
Article compiled from WDAM, Covington County Neighborhood News and Charrette Team Member reports.
January is Culinary Month in Mississippi
With January as Culinary Month in Mississippi, MDA's Tourism Division is kicking off 2012 with a month-long celebration of Mississippi food, restaurants, chefs, recipes, specialty items and plenty of flavor along a Culinary Trail that will satisfy anyone's appetite to discover the authentic Mississippi.
The Mississippi Culinary Trail features an online, interactive map with background information, stories and details about eateries, restaurants and other food-related sites in every region of the state. The trail highlights those singular local attractions travelers want to find but often don't know where to search for them. Visitors – as well as state residents – can find local favorites in communities throughout Mississippi and enjoy the state's bounty of farm-fresh produce and fresh Gulf seafood as well as traditions like hot tamales, catfish, barbeque and other Mississippi favorites.
To view more information on the Culinary Trail and its interactive map, go to: http://www.visitmississippi.org/shopping_dining/culinary_trail.asp.
Through the Customers Eyes
Through the Customers Eyes
Mark Miller, Main Street Arkansas Small Business Consultant
When was the last time that you changed out a window display or moved some of your stores interior fixtures? Are you missing out on sales because you have become so complacent to your stores surroundings that it is easier to see what was intended, rather than what is really there?
Viewing your store through your customer's eyes is often difficult. But there is a technique you can use to give yourself a new perspective. This technique involves the use of a camera and color film. The technique involves taking shots from a customer's perspective. Start by taking pictures of your storefront and work through to the back of your store. Then reverse by taking pictures from back to front. Make sure to follow the route that your customers most often take. Be sure to take shots of feature areas, back walls, side walls, the point of purchase area and what the customer can see behind the cash desk.
Next, mount your pictures on a board to build a picture of your store the way that a customer sees it. Sometimes, the pictures aren't too flattering, but this can give you a realistic picture of your store through the customer's eyes, and the camera doesn't lie.
What are you looking for? Here are some suggestions:
Facade
· Clean front widows.
· Adequate signage.
· Illuminated signs turned on.
· Too much glare to see window displays.
· Are window displays current to you stores best
sellers/season?
· Are window displays at eye level?
Store Navigation
· Is there an easy traffic flow through the store, or is
it confusing?
· Are seasonal displays located at the front of the
store?
· Are impulse items located near the front checkout?
· Are high-ticket items at eye level? Customers
perceive merchandise below eye level to be of less
value. The farther down the merchandise, the lower
the perceived value.
· Is the back wall interesting enough to draw
customers to the back of your store?
Interior/Signage
· Are the signs professional looking and computer
generated or are they hand-written and dog-eared?
· Does your store have a consistent theme with color
and graphics?
· Are special services and promotions signed well?
Point of Purchase
· Is the checkout area clean and well maintained?
· Is your back to customers because of register
location?
· Are you taking advantage of impulse items at the
register?
These are just a few examples. Many of these are simple things overlooked everyday in retailing, but they aren't as noticeable until you look at them through the customers' point of view. Be sure to take after pictures to verify that all problems that you notated have been adequately taken care of.
If you or your group is interested in Mark Miller speaking to your organization, he can be reached at 501-324-9812 or via email at
.
Photo: Downtown Vicksburg pawn shop by Randy Wilson.
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Downtown Meridian
Downtown Meridian has many notable and historic buildings including General Supply Store, Hamasa Shrine Temple Theater, Terminal Hotel, MSU Riley Center for Education and the Performing Arts, Hulett Furniture, and Weidmann’s Restaurant. |
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