River Street in Elk Rapids features an inviting array of floral displays for the summer.
By Amanda Baker Downtown Development Coordinator
When it comes to building up a downtown district, there is an endless list of projects to work on and new ones that can be started. It can quickly become overwhelming for a district manager or board. One good way to manage your time is to facilitate and delegate a project, then let it take off as it will.
The Elk Rapids Downtown Development Authority recently saw success in facilitating flowers down River Street. While the DDA budget didn’t allow for hanging baskets or Village flower boxes, the Business Development committee teamed up with Pine Hill Nursery to offer a discount program for any district businesses to purchase plants as well as design consulting and advice. DDA members focused on getting information to businesses, then let business owners take the lead and decide how they would move forward. This allowed each business to match their own needs and budgets while resulting in a beautiful display throughout downtown.
Allowing projects to be merchant-led creates a stronger buy-in for participants. The Elk Rapids DDA plans to continue this method by encouraging the relaunch of a Downtown Merchants Group to focus on small events and marketing projects. So far, the ideas have been well met and with a little nurturing, the DDA is confident the merchants will band together to make a coordinated impact on their community and Northern Michigan.
By allowing the merchants ownership of these projects, the DDA is able to free up time to go after larger long term goals and changes. Facilitate collaboration and watch as projects are launched out of the ballpark!
