ROUNDTABLE
The Changing Face of Retail Space in Commercial Districts
Thursday October 31, 2024
12:00 noon – 1:00 PM
Online via Zoom
Restaurants are rebounding on Main Street. How do we spark retail? Join us for our Halloween roundtable on the scary hurdles faced by small businesses, and innovative ways we can build local retail to strengthen RI communities.
Businesses are grappling with issues like shifting consumer and labor behavior. We’ll flesh out these barriers and discuss ideas to bring shoppers and their hard-earned dollars back to our communities.
Facilitator: Jo Lee, Partner, Pop Up Rhody
Presenters: Leslie Moore of the Black Block in Pawtucket; Jan Dane of Stock Culinary Goods in Providence
POP-UP RHODY, Jo Lee’s Local Events Calendar
STOCK CULINARY GOODS, Jan Dane’s kitchen store on Hope Street in Providence:
THE BLACK BLOCK COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, Leslie Moore’s Pawtucket Development:
Photos of Leslie Moore’s projects in Downtown Pawtucket
RESOURCES
Shop Local RI – online marketplace for RI small business
In-Place — Access project to develop a new financial model to solve for commercial displacement challenges in minority communities
Federal Reserve Bank of BostonNew Urban Order Substack: “We need a new movement for independent retail”
Monthly Data from the International Council of Shopping Centers
Main Street America’s results from the 2024 Main Street small business survey
Main Street America’s Chief Innovation Officer Matt Wagner’s predictions about 2024 small business
Retail Strategies consultants’ library of downtown-related resources
RI Public Expenditure Council quarterly KPI briefing
Collection of examples of creative uses for downtown buildings from around Wisconsin
ReCast City Consultancy dedicated to integrating small scale manufacturing into Main Streets and Downtowns