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  • One downtown building gives life to many new retail stores
    economic development | ideas | rural

    One downtown building gives life to many new retail stores

    August 7, 2013July 12, 2024

    Guest post by Cathy Lloyd, The Village In the summer of 2007, I had an idea to help the state of retail on the square in downtown Washington, Iowa.  Since Wal-Mart came to town in the ‘70s, there had been a steady decline in the number of retail businesses in the downtown area. I hoped…

    Read More One downtown building gives life to many new retail storesContinue

  • A row of brick buildings downtown.
    Best of | economic development | rural

    Small town economic development idea: The Tour of Empty Buildings

    May 7, 2013March 17, 2025

    Best small town economic development idea I’ve seen in months, hands down. My friend Deb Brown is the new director of the Webster City, Iowa, Chamber of Commerce. Deb looked at the empty store fronts downtown and other available buildings around town as opportunities. So she and her new team in Webster City decided to…

    Read More Small town economic development idea: The Tour of Empty BuildingsContinue

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