No, that's not a very creative title, and I haven't had any flashes of brilliance today either. But it's been a good time to get some work completed. For some reason, the phones have been quiet this week--not dead, but not crazy either. It also seems to be a week where most folks have low expectations and my job is to pull them along in thinking about some alternatives.
But it is also a week where we're getting ready for the Star Stage & Sound trade show and conference at Shelby City Park on Saturday. I'm not very mechanically inclined to begin with, and when I took all the parts of our trade show booth out of the neat rolling cases my heart sank. But I've still got two days to get that all figured out for quick assembly on Saturday. Lucky for me, once I get the assembly worked out, it will be easy to talk with people about our Uptown Shelby district and organization.
And join me in hoping and praying for good weather Thursday evening so we can finish up our Alive After Five '09 Summer Concert series in comfort. Hope to see you there!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Monday perspective
It's Monday, I'm back in town after a weekend back in my home town area with family and friends. I might not have a truly fresh perspective on things, but just enough to have revealed a few insights.
First, even though my farm in the hills is only two hours away, having been absent since Christmas is not a good idea. Even a close knit family begins to seem like they are going in strange directions or doing things that surprise you. Of course, there's also the capacity for positive surprise as well, as with the incredible progress my nephew is achieving with his metalsmithing and jewelry making career. From motorhead to gunsmith to engraver and now he's forming sophisticated, costly works in a few short months where most pros take years to reach that point. I've already told him to plan to be here for Art on the Square in 2010.
Being out of town for two days sets me up to look at everything a little closer to make sure nothing changed while I was away. Nonsense, yes, I know. But I'm sure we all do it on some level. And if something did change it looks as if it was for the better.
While I was in Mount Airy, the nearest thing to a home town for this farm boy, I was pleased to see that there were few empty store fronts on Main Street since I was last there. The local paper had recently run a feature on new businesses and found that the majority of the business owners were under 40 years of age. That's a great thing to find!
So yes, it's Monday. Time to get back to the grind with a smile. Even on a cloudy wet Monday.
First, even though my farm in the hills is only two hours away, having been absent since Christmas is not a good idea. Even a close knit family begins to seem like they are going in strange directions or doing things that surprise you. Of course, there's also the capacity for positive surprise as well, as with the incredible progress my nephew is achieving with his metalsmithing and jewelry making career. From motorhead to gunsmith to engraver and now he's forming sophisticated, costly works in a few short months where most pros take years to reach that point. I've already told him to plan to be here for Art on the Square in 2010.
Being out of town for two days sets me up to look at everything a little closer to make sure nothing changed while I was away. Nonsense, yes, I know. But I'm sure we all do it on some level. And if something did change it looks as if it was for the better.
While I was in Mount Airy, the nearest thing to a home town for this farm boy, I was pleased to see that there were few empty store fronts on Main Street since I was last there. The local paper had recently run a feature on new businesses and found that the majority of the business owners were under 40 years of age. That's a great thing to find!
So yes, it's Monday. Time to get back to the grind with a smile. Even on a cloudy wet Monday.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Colleagues, travel, meetings, etc.
I know that a "managers meeting" is usually enough to make folks run away, but I've just been to one that was uplifting, encouraging, and inspiring. It was the late summer Managers Meeting for the North Carolina Main Street Center. It didn't hurt that it was in Brevard and did not require me to drive five hours. But even if it had, I think I would have been just as inspired and upbeat.
Uptown Shelby Association is one of the five oldest Main Street programs in North Carolina and we've been represented at these meetings ever since the early 80's. But where the backdrop today might have been recession, credit freeze, and mounting unemployment, the Main Street Managers were a pretty optimistic group. We joked that it's because we've always been faced with doing a lot with little to no money. I fully believe that it is a skill set that has put us in good stead for a time of economic challenge.
But we also think that we see some strong signs of changing trends that promote independent start-up and local businesses. While not everyone reported upbeat results, the majority did report that our occupancy rates were up over recent years and that interest remains strong in new business formation within their communities.
Yes, we all have stories about native born, lifelong residents of our small towns and small cities who just have no idea that our downtowns have businesses where they are welcomed and served so well. But as long as we are reducing the number of such people in our communities I'll take that progress.
I loved Brevard, and I think it was my first visit, at least since infancy. With a chocolate shop and a great toy store, I'll be going back. But it also helped me appreciate my own corner of the world here in Shelby even more.
Uptown Shelby Association is one of the five oldest Main Street programs in North Carolina and we've been represented at these meetings ever since the early 80's. But where the backdrop today might have been recession, credit freeze, and mounting unemployment, the Main Street Managers were a pretty optimistic group. We joked that it's because we've always been faced with doing a lot with little to no money. I fully believe that it is a skill set that has put us in good stead for a time of economic challenge.
But we also think that we see some strong signs of changing trends that promote independent start-up and local businesses. While not everyone reported upbeat results, the majority did report that our occupancy rates were up over recent years and that interest remains strong in new business formation within their communities.
Yes, we all have stories about native born, lifelong residents of our small towns and small cities who just have no idea that our downtowns have businesses where they are welcomed and served so well. But as long as we are reducing the number of such people in our communities I'll take that progress.
I loved Brevard, and I think it was my first visit, at least since infancy. With a chocolate shop and a great toy store, I'll be going back. But it also helped me appreciate my own corner of the world here in Shelby even more.
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