Are you a half empty or a half full person?  If you are half empty I encourage you to come over to the "happy side".   You see, if we spend all our time looking at what is good with life instead of looking at what is wrong in life we all will see great change in ourselves and in our community!

This week I decided to take a stroll around downtown with my camera. The "mission" ... catch some of our downtown property owners and citizens "Looking GOOD!".   A big part of the National Main Street Program is to ENCOURAGE getting Main Street into top physical shape and creating a safe, inviting environment for shoppers, workers, and visitors.

During my walk here are just a FEW examples of great design in our downtown and one special photo below that made me stop the car and find out what was going on!

Enjoy ... it's all about being 1/2 full!

Naomi's Photo Journey:

While heading to set up for Downtown Bounty I had to stop and park my car to find out what this group of men were doing in downtown!  Below are members of The Golden Star Masonic Lodge 150.  This group does a quarterly sweep in downtown to help keep our community clean!   The man on the left, Thurman Leach went to FVHS with me.  GREAT football player and now being a GREAT role model in FV!  Thank you Golden Star Masons!!!!

Below, LInda Johnson of Senter Stephenson and Johnson hires Nelsa Cox of The Garden Hut to keep her window boxes looking incredible ALL YEAR LONG!

Below, Kim of K'n'B's creates a beautiful display for fall using an old bike and beautiful mum.  

Beth of Merle Norman recently added a new awning that tastefully gives color to her building!

Below, Stacey and Kenneth at Colonial Barber always have a beautiful and fun window display!

Below, Tami at Ashworth's clothing works her magic to draw customers into their wonderful store.

Below, Kristie of Shoppes on Main makes certain that flowers are always planted and the chalkboard is full of great news!  Scott recently added outdoor speakers .... have you heard the music on the street?!

Below, Donna at Flowers on Broad displays plants in VERY creative ways ... much like her flower arrangements inside the shop!

Below, Gina with CupCake Bite shows what a little bit of color can do.  Who would NOT want to go into a store like this?

Below, Heather of Family Optical shows how an "awning with a twist" can help your business stand out.

Below, the Town of Fuquay-Varina didn't go the "bare minimum" route.  Instead they added flag poles and benches to their new town parking lot.  The extra details make people notice!

Below, Fidelity Bank always has a beautiful entrance!

Below, First Bank brings in a BEAUTIFUL and tastefully made sign that gets them noticed!   Their landscaping is over the top!

Below New Bridge Bank ALWAYS has the most flowers of any downtown business that I know.   The extra effort of fresh annual color shows that the bank cares about their appearance in the community.

Below, First United Methodist on Main Street recently added flag poles to the front of the church.  As people drive along Main Street, this addition sends a great message to us all.  What a great community, state and nation that we all live in!

Thanks to all the people above for helping to keep our downtown "Looking GOOD!".   Until the next camera stroll ....

Yesterday I hit the streets in downtown, Fuquay-Varina to watch our Pop Up Art installations unfold. While speaking to a friend along the sidewalk my eye was drawn to a store. It caught my attention so much that it made me stop the conversation to say, "Look at that!". 

We walked across the street to check it out. As we stood there I started seeing others as they were walking towards us and I watched their eye. (consumer behavior brings out the "figure it out" geek in me) They also had the same reaction that I did. They were drawn and I heard one say, "Let's check this out".

Fuquay-Varina Downtown, the Fuquay-Varina Garden Club and the local downtown businesses have worked as a team to bring a beautiful pallet of color to our streets. The planters are the perfect backdrop for the downtown business owners to merchandise their wares in a creative manner.

Destination marketing experts stress the importance of having product on the sidewalk. Not cluttered, we are having a yard sale kind of way, but tastefully placed where your very best wares will draw the customer in. Terry at Ritas Decor and More has done a FANTASTIC job doing what these experts stress. She tastefully displayed items that made us stop and EVEN CROSS THE STREET! I'd say she is doing all the proper things to bring people inside her store. 

Recently planners have started looking at creative ways to create "gathering spaces" within a downtown's footprint. Gathering spaces and the need for them is driven mostly by an age group that is a growing demographic for Fuquay-Varina .... young professionals and young families.

Fuquay-Varina is a great location for this age group because of our housing prices AND we have what this group looks for... a vibrant downtown with coffee shops, restaurants, brewery's, parks, community feel, etc.

Our downtown has opportunities to look at gathering spaces in a way not really realized in Wake County yet. As a result of ADA requirements and how our downtown buildings are positioned there are very little opportunities to have a lot of gathering spaces on our sidewalks, in a traditional sense. If you put a table here, a wheel chair has to be able to pass through here. If you put a table here, you must have xyz clearance from the flow of traffic.

So COULD we consider "parklets" on some of our side streets as a way to creatively meet the needs of our community? Would this be a function that would attract people to downtown?

The answer is never a simple yes or no. But one thing is certain, Fuquay-Varina Downtown's role is to work with the town to consider some "outside the box" solutions to continue building a better downtown.

Parklets? I don't know... I think they might be cool!

As we move into the end of summer .... Let's all do our quarterly "check" to make sure we are looking at our exteriors from a "customer's perspective".

FVDA has volunteer designers that we can call on if you would like for us to come in and give you some ideas on how to make your storefront a "wow" front.   It is OK to say ... it is just not my thing!  We are here to help you!!!

Naomi

Common Storefront Marketing Mistakes

It’s overwhelming. Take a look at the photo below. I recently took a trip to California and I was amazed at how many shops looked just like this one. Talk about overwhelming! There are so many pictures, banners, and words that you can’t figure out where to focus your attention. The people driving by your store only have a few seconds to receive the message you’re trying to send them. If it takes them a good 20 seconds to read all the different signs on your storefront, you’re too late! They’ve already driven past and directed their attention elsewhere.

It’s too dark. A dark storefront is never inviting. It can actually be a little scary and intimidating. If people can’t see inside your place of business, they’re going to start wondering what exactly goes on in there. Plus, people will often mistake you for being closed.

It’s dirty. Too often I see storefronts with dead bugs and cobwebs in the windows. Once people see this they’ll automatically assume that the rest of your store is just as dirty. Dirty, streaky windows can also be a big turn-off to people, as well as overflowing trash cans. It doesn’t take much time or effort to keep your storefront clean. The payoff is well worth it in the end!

It’s confusing. Your storefront may be confusing if it’s too cluttered or doesn’t indicate to passersby exactly what you sell. If I can’t figure out who you are or what you do from your storefront, there’s a very good chance that I’ll never lay a foot in your store. You need to provide clear signs and symbols that clearly indicate what you have to offer the customer.

A welcoming storefront is one that invites people in all while telling your story. You can keep your storefront fresh by updating signage and displays periodically and maintaining clean windows. The more effort you put into improving your storefront, the more customers you’re bound to attract.

(photo by Naomi Riley ~ Goldsboro, NC visit)

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