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Downtown Manchester.
At the January 20 Village Council meeting, Manchester businessman Jeff Fahey had requested to be on the agenda to make a presentation about the downtown business climate.
Fahey, who is co-owner of the building that formerly housed the Manchester Pharmacy as well as the Dairy Queen/DD along the riverbank, along with a number of rental properties, had already expressed his concerns about Manchester’s future at the previous week’s Downtown Development Authority (DDA) meeting and held a lengthy conversation with Council members about the difficulties in continuing to do business in a small town.
“What is needed is for business owners, community members, and local government to make a commitment to improve conditions,” he opined. “I have talked to numerous businesses about moving to Manchester to fill our building, and their concern is universally whether they can make money here.”
Fahey added that a “pivotal problem” appears to be a lack of banking resources on which local businesses can rely for financing. He said that the large banks like Comerica and Old National seem disinterested in investing in Manchester business, and believes that bringing a new, locally-owned bank into the community could possibly improve the situation for business owners who need start-up funding.
Fahey mentioned the often-touted Gibbs demographic study that lists the types of businesses that Manchester could–theoretically–support. He wondered how to make the data “work for us.”
“We need to have a united front,” Fahey said. “Do we roll over and say there’s nothing we can do, or do we work together for the benefit of the downtown and subsequently, the entire community? If we let things slip away, it could be too late.”
“We haven’t given up; we’re working hard … but we want to know how can you help us,” he concluded.
Council members responded to Fahey that there are, indeed, new businesses and new investments in the community despite the shrinking number of retail offerings in the downtown district. Many of these are as a direct result of small groups of individuals with varied skill sets, getting together to work on the projects that are most meaningful to them. Both Acorn Farmers’ Market and Café and the new Worth Repeating store have been incubated by people interested in filling a specific need in the Manchester community. A subcommittee of the DDA and Chamber of Commerce have been hard at work for more than a year to try and bring a new full-service grocery to town. Established businesses have invested substantial money to update and upgrade their facilities, while some newer businesses are making smaller and more affordable changes (including plenty of “sweat equity”) as they go along. Some business owners are choosing to invest their time and talents in promoting events around the community as well.
Council agreed that people–individuals as well as business owners and government entities–working together will be the most effective way for Manchester to continue on an upward trajectory for the future. With changes in the retail landscape in all towns, both large and small, it may be necessary to think outside the box to find sustainable business models to fill the empty downtown spaces.
There are as many good answers to Fahey’s questions as there are small towns that face similar challenges to Manchester’s. The solution seems to be finding the right people to gather together and cooperate to make a positive change in their community.
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