People are the key to any downtown large or small, and a "dead" downtown or mall is a downtown or mall without people. Countless downtowns all over the country are seeking to renovate and enhance their downtowns, and it all boils down to encourage people to visit and spend time there. Some towns have focused on retail clustering to attract folks, and that means having a group of businesses that all cater to the same customer.

A good example is a discount shopping mall, a concept where all stores are touted to be "discount" stores. Other downtowns have focused on being a restaurant row where every store is a restaurant. In some downtowns entertainment is the key ingredient, and downtown Nashville, 6th Street in Austin, Texas, and Orlando, Florida have focused on entertainment along with food and drink with great success. When people come to be entertained, or to dine, or to shop, they always end up coming where other folks congregate, and they may or may not be shoppers, per-say, but they end up shopping. To draw those wood-be customers to your downtown, you must have something that will draw them there. That is why restaurants and music venues are in shopping areas.

The basic idea is to make your downtown the "Center of Town." It's where people congregate to shop, dine, relax, and generally hang out. When it is Prom Night at your High........

© El Dorado News Times