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If you attended the Newport Downtown Meeting last week you saw my "What I did on my summer vacation" presentation. Which was an overview of my observations from the dozen Main Street Communities I've visited this summer in Kentucky, Indiana and Michigan. Some of these cities had vibrant downtowns, others didn't. In my presentation I tried to distill what characteristics the vibrant communities shared and looked for ideas we could implement in Newport Downtown.
One thing that jumped out at me in the more vibrant communities was the fact the business let you know their businesses were open. Looking at the pictures to the right notice how the businesses in Midway, Kentucky and Rising Sun, Indiana announced that their businesses were open and wanted your business.
They use flags and A-frame signs let you know that keep on walking there are more interesting businesses down the street. These flags and signs are an invitation to the shopper or visitor to come and explore their downtowns.
To compare I walked down Monmouth to see how we matched up with Midway and Rising Sun. Our streetscape has flowers trees, period lighting and historic buildings, just like Midway and Rising Sun. What was missing we the visual cues that the businesses were open and that there was another interesting shop just on the horizon.
We do have businesses that do a great job at communicating to that hey look there's something interesting here. Look at the photo of the Cookie Jar Bakery. Walking down the street there is little doubt that here is a business that's open and wants your business.
I'd like the businesses to look at putting an open flag outside their business. It's a very affordable of way of letting shoppers know you open and want their business.
Locally, open flags are available from Flaggs USA at 3075 Madison Rd Cincinnati, OH 45209 (513) 533-0330 the National Flag Company 1819 Freeman Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45214, (513) 721-0285.
You can also find suppliers by doing an Internet search for "open flag" on your favorite search engine. I found the best selection doing a search for "open flag" search on www.froogle.com. Froogle is Google's search engine for items that are for sale.
Prices range between $20 and $40 depending on styles and materials. Take a look; an open flag might be a good investment for your business.
In future issues of the Newport Downtown eNewsletter I'll cover my other observations from visiting other Main Street districts.
 Midway, Kentucky
 Rising Sun, Indiana
 Newport, Kentucky
 Cookie Jar - Newport, Kentucky
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