Got ideas? Drop by for coffee

By Mary Owen

Got an idea on how to spruce up downtown Stayton?

Know of a business that might be “just right” for Third Avenue?

The Stayton-Sublimity Chamber of Commerce and local business owners invite area businesses and residents to join in a round table discussion at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16 at the Covered Bridge Café to brainstorm ways to bring positive attention to Stayton’s downtown.

“The idea is to bring business minds together to decide what can be done to help bring cohesiveness to downtown and keep it vibrant,” said Kelly Schreiber, executive director of SSCOC.

Schreiber believes the informal meeting is a “fabulous idea.”

“We’ve batted around ideas, but most of them take money,” she said of chamber efforts.

One such idea was having local businesses display flower basket during warmer months, adding to the welcoming aura of downtown, she said.

“Another was our Halloween event,” Schreiber said. “It also got people downtown, walking about.”

About a dozen businesses welcomed more than 1,000 trick-or-treaters and their family members, she said.

“They were tickled pink about so many people coming through their doors,” she added. “The more traffic downtown, the larger the draw for businesses to be there.”

But sprucing up the core area and bringing people downtown via numerous events are just two ideas circulating as to how to make Stayton more economically viable.

Tracy Jones with the North Santiam Credit Union said her major concern is how to keep existing businesses from vacating the downtown area as well as draw new businesses to empty store fronts.

“I don’t want Third Avenue to die,” Jones said. “We’re all affected by the empty buildings. It’s a real concern.”

Peter Whitney with Boldt, Carlisle & Smith also believes a revitalized construction industry would help merchants and businesses succeed.

“The biggest challenge we have is to take care of the vacancies we have,” he said. “I don’t have a solution, but there should be a way to draw businesses to the area. We’d have to develop some kind of drawing traction, whether it’s something the city can do or we need to dress up downtown more.”

Additionally, Dan Fleishman, director of planning and development for Stayton, said the February meeting was scheduled to discuss the possibility of an organization other than the city to carry out relatively low-cost activities that would enhance the business climate and desirability of visiting the downtown area.

“It would not include activities such as street reconstruction or sidewalk replacement, but focus on ‘non-capital’ type spending instead,” he said. “Stayton’s Downtown Revitalization (plan) recommended a number of things such as marketing and promotion and visual improvements such as flower baskets and signage.”

Fleishman said the city council last fall directed staff to explore the possibility of establishing an Economic Improvement or Business Improvement district.

“This could provide a source of financing for these activities,” he said. Fleishman encourages business and property owners to make known what type of activities they think would be helpful.

“And whether they would be willing to pay an additional assessment to fund them,” he added.

For more information, call the SSCOC office at 503-769-3464.