The
Principal Shopping District (PSD) in Lansing is changing its image, throwing out its old top down management structure and replacing it with a grassroots movement.
Mindy Biladeau is the principle driver behind this movement. Biladeau is the new executive director of the PSD. In the summer of 2008, the PSD hired her to help unite downtown businesses, breathe life into the downtown and implement the National Trust for Historic Preservation's
Main Street model, which has successfully transformed downtowns around the country into hip, urban centers.
Biladeau started the Main Street program in
Howell, MI, three years ago. Now Howell has more downtown events, more businesses and more commerce. Her plan is to do the same in
Downtown Lansing.
Here’s what Biladeau has to say about the programs and plans she hopes will be the future of
Downtown Lansing.
Capital Gains: How did the Main Street model impact downtown Howell?
Mindy Biladeau: It completely energized the bus community the property owners. The community started to understand the importance of the downtown and the role they all play in the success of the downtown.
We added more marketing and awareness about downtown and it was a totally different approach than what they had, which is similar to here, not being a staff driven organization, but really a grassroots organization.
New businesses also opened. We had a lot of second locations for retail businesses. One of the reasons this worked is that we had such a strong Main Street program. The advertising opportunities and the strength of the events really does help attract businesses.
CG: Have you had a chance to do any of those things in Lansing yet?
MB: We had a couple of events right out of the gate: Trick or Treat on the Square—that was Oct. 29 and it was a wonderful success. Over 8,000 people came downtown for it. It included trick or treating, magic show, cider and donuts—very family oriented activities.
We also did breakfast with Santa the morning after
Silver Bells in the City, so lots of families came down for that. That was at the
Lansing Center.
We’re trying to create new traditions downtown. We do a monthly e-source newsletter that goes to over 2,000 people, basically it’s a correspondence with business owners and property owners.
It depends on the type of events, but any special events have a spillover effect that will help commerce for businesses.
One of my top priorities is implementing the Main Street program, which is taking more of a grassroots-oriented approach to downtown revitalization. There’s four points, which we’ve already started by trying to engage all of the stakeholders downtown.
There are promotions, which includes special events, branding of the district, image building campaigns, things of that sort. Then there’s design, which focuses on the physical elements of the district—streetscapes, lighting, signage, façade renovations.
There’s business development, which is also economic restructuring. We’re working on a downtown market study right now. That focuses on recruitment and retention efforts of the Main Street area.
The fourth one is organization, which is the nuts and bolts behind the organization—budgeting, fundraising, newsletters, volunteer recruitment and recognition.
CG: How do you move from a staff-driven effort to a community-driven effort?
MB: The committees are made up of business owners, retailers, students and property owners who are located within the PSD, so instead of projects coming from the staff or the board, it’s a grassroots effort. They come up with the events and promotions. It’s not a top-down approach.
CG: What do businesses owners say Downtown is lacking?
MB: There is a shift in the mindset that we haven’t quite hit yet. There’s a transition from not only lunch and daytime foot traffic to more evening activities.
Jimmy John’s and
Cottage Inn Pizza are good examples of the shift, because they stay open late and the do very good business.
A lot of businesses are thinking, “Should I stay open after 3 or 4 p.m.?” People are starting to think about that. They’re seeing more people come Downtown. We’re climbing up that hill, but we haven’t hit the plateau yet.
CG: Can the Main Street strategy prevent Downtown from turning into a ghost town again?
MB: I think if you’re focusing on all the components and looking at revitalization as a comprehensive approach, it helps. A couple of façade improvements and a couple of new businesses are not going to revitalize an area. You really need to be doing activities and projects in all of the four points. You also need to involve all the stakeholders and work with partners like the [Lansing] EDC that are bringing more employers down and developing housing.
The whole management structure helps everyone pay attention to what’s going on. Engaging the community and giving people that ownership allows people to care about Downtown and helps them not to lose sight of the potential and all the possibilities it has.
CG: What about millennials? Are we getting them Downtown?
MB: I think we see a lot of that right now especially with
Cooley Law students and young professionals that may be married with no children. You see some of them in the
Stadium District.
Millennials are a huge component of downtowns. The millennials especially are looking for that urban environment that downtowns, really, only provide. They want restaurants, they want to be able to social and shop and get a coffee and hook up their laptops to WiFi.
CG: How will this model help get retail back Downtown?
MB: I think a lot will help when the market study is finished [in the spring]. We’ll see what the market will support. Retail is obviously a piece of the puzzle, but is that really sustainable right now? We don’t know. It might be more restaurant or entertainment venue- focused.
The image we want to create for downtown will also help be defined by the market study. Right now, we’re just going through a restructuring process of the PSD. Pretty soon we’ll have a new DBA (Downtown Business Authority) and new logo. Once we get past that step, we’ll begin looking at branding the district.
CG: What’s the timeline in terms of implementing these changes?
MB: It’s very gradual and incremental. According to the national Main Street program model, from one to three years, you’re in your infancy; four to seven is like your growth; and seven to 10 is your catalyst maturity level as it progresses.
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Mindy Biladeau is the executive director of the Lansing Principle Shopping District.
Ivy Hughes is managing editor of Capital Gains.
All Photographs © Dave Trumpie