Paw Paw uncorks success in keeping village vibrant

When the economy goes bad some people come undone. Paw Paw decided to uncork and it’s helped the village grow.

Over the past three years, 27 new business have decided they want to be part of what’s happening in the Van Buren County village of Paw Paw. Another 43 have been renovated or expanded.

The campaign “Uncork Paw Paw” is getting a lot of the credit for results.

The Michigan Municipal League recently recognized the village for a marketing effort that came about when the community decided to build on its sense of place as a wine country destination. Paw Paw is located in the heart of Michigan’s wine country and is home to St. Julian Winery, Michigan’s oldest, largest and most honored winery.

The initiative began three years ago, when there was a lot of worry about the economic downturn and the threat to businesses in Paw Paw, says Village Manager Larry Nielsen.

The community knew it wanted to survive and grow so it looked for a way to encourage local people, those in a 10-minute drive, to do more of their business in Paw Paw, to encourage people in the 20- and 30-minute drive times to experience Paw Paw, its businesses and events, and to encourage business expansion and new businesses to consider Paw Paw for their location.

The village began a process of interviewing existing businesses to see what other businesses they would like to see in the community, ones that they could either “purchase from” or “sell to.” The village also looked at other similar communities to see what type of business mix they had.

Results of the various surveys were reviewed to determine which businesses should be able to succeed in Paw Paw.

The village identified its target audience and came up with a strategy to promote the region, building on its wine country heritage. The marketing analysis showed there are 54,000 homes within 20 minutes of Paw Paw and 114,000 within 30 minutes, the Michigan Municipal League reports.

Paw Paw, a community of 3,363, created its unique sense of place in part through its events. Lakeside concerts and events that draw from across the region include an annual Wine & Harvest Festival, Harvest Moon Extravaganza, an Art Hop and a vintage baseball club, the Paw Paw Corkers.

The village also implemented a support system for new entrepreneurship and existing businesses. It gave out more than $400,000 in grants over three years. The funds paid for education and training or went to to building facade and interior improvements.

“What I’m really excited about is that this is the type of program that many communities can easily do to capitalize on their assets, and find the same great success that we have,” says Village Manager Larry Nielsen.

Writer: Kathy Jennings
Source: Larry Nielsen, Village of Paw Paw