As one of Cheyenne County's newbies, I don't often chime in on community projects or signs of unrest amongst the natives.
A community-owned clothing store is a different story. I have some background with these types of projects. I lived and worked in Torrington, Wyoming when theirs came about. I worked with a development group in Chadron, Nebraska, when they put together a team to investigate the possibility of a community-owned clothing store.
Having been through it twice, I know a little about it. I figured I would attend the meeting last Thursday to learn what I could about Sidney's current project status, and offer what I could to help.
The meeting included thirty or so folks who were very excited about the idea of a community-owned clothing store. The folks from UNL, Connie and a gentleman whose name I do not recall, presented on behalf of the group. They spoke of the group's inception, and how they came together with the idea of a community-owned clothing store. They spoke of focus groups that were held to discuss wants and needs from a clothing store. They discussed customer service quality, assortment, including sizes and selection, and how their store would be inviting and have a great floor plan, etc etc.
What they did not discuss - was due diligence.
I explained that I had a question, but prefaced it with a little of my background. I said that I was in Torrington when the group there moved toward a community-owned clothing store. The initial work of the group was to determine what money was leaving the community, and how the town might be able to recapture those funds. In doing so, and preventing a few trips per year/per household out-of-town or out-of-state, the entire retail sector would benefit. It was a quest to save our community downtown area, and the merchants who owned businesses there. With Super Wal*Mart being built in Scottsbluff, we knew we had to do something.
Brad Sutherland, Economic Developer at the time, wrote a grant to pay for a retail leakage survey to be conducted by a third party. This information was compiled into a report and provided to the community at a town hall meeting. During that meeting, it was learned that shoes and family clothing were primary reasons for trips out of town. A large percentage of survey respondents stated that they would buy locally if the options were available, but until then, would continue to travel. It was THEN decided to investigate the possibility of a community-owned clothing store.
I explained to the group that we knew that a lot of different community-owned businesses were POSSIBLE, but as a group we owed it to both tax payers (because they would be contributing via grant funds) and local investors to do the due diligence work on the front end. It helped to protect the investments of all who would be contributing.
I then asked if the Sidney group planned to take the same steps, or if they had already done so. Connie from UNL stated that they had not thought of that. The gentleman from UNL did not have a comment for the question.
Gotta say - I find that concerning. We are a fiscally conservative area. It means we like to know what we are getting into before we sign the check. The group that spoke Thursday night provided the audience the start of what could be a great business PLAN...
But there is no business CASE. When dealing with public funds or invested dollars, it is necessary to build a case for the business or the investment. Why do we need it? What are the benefits? Could we live without it? Could we spend the money in a way that would generate a better return?
Those steps have not been taken. If building such a store would not pull new money into the community, either by way of those coming in, or by way of locals choosing to spend locally when they have traveled in the past - we aren't ACCOMPLISHING anything. We are taking money from one business to benefit another. And rest assured that the big businesses won't take that lightly. They don't have to. There is no monopoly in Sidney, Nebraska. They can be as competitive as they like within the letter of the law.
Clothing store after clothing store in this community has failed. The explanation on Thursday night was that conversations with those owners revealed life changes or some type of desire to do something new. I would challenge that a little. Successful businesses generally don't close - they sell. If these businesses closed, it was likely because they weren't making it doing what they were doing.
Plus - at some point - gotta deal with the obvious. I can't think of any tri-state community-owned clothing stores in towns with Wal*Marts in them. Also can't think that such a store would have flown in Torrington if say, Sierra Trading Post, had been the leading employer in town and the biggest potential spenders were all sitting on employee discounts that made shopping with the employer preferred.
In addition, a person has to consider what a lot of shopping trips are. The trip to Cheyenne for shoes or to the Front Range for new bedding is often a combination of entertainment and recreation. It gives us something to do where we can enjoy a little anonymity and a reprieve from one another.
Not that we don't all love each other. Just that a break is good. Talking shop gets old and wearing the "I'm happy all the time" smile wears us a little thin.
Until a retail leakage survey is completed, there is no way to know WHY folks are leaving town or shopping online. There is no way to know how many of those shoppers can be recaptured. There's no way to know if a community-owned clothing store is the best option, or if something else would be better supported.
After I asked the question on Thursday night, the group explained that their next steps would be incorporation. I challenge that. Next steps need to be stopping for a moment - circling back - and completing the due diligence work. Gary Person stated in the meeting that ED funds would be available for such a survey. All you have to do is ask.
In Torrington, seems that 250 or so shares were sold at $500/share. The majority were to retirees. Good people who worked darn hard for their money. Good people who didn't care if they never saw the money again - they just wanted to invest in making their town a little better - and keeping the retail sector healthy for all who lived there.
We owed it to those good people to do the work first and protect their investment. The good people of Sidney deserve the same. So do other retailers, who might see $250,000 that COULD have been spent locally being spent on a start-up business instead. I would encourage the group to hire the research completed, and to host a town hall meeting to announce the results.
There's my two cents, Mike. Anyone who would like to challenge can sure post it here.
Starla Eleson
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