Iola merchants may be feeling their backs are against a wall but if it’s any consolation, Iola is the envy of many other similar-sized towns.
“Iola’s ‘problem’ is that it puts itself in league with communities that are much larger, like Chanute and Parsons,” said Barbara Anderson. “Whenever I’m on the road, I’m always asked, ‘What’s Iola’s secret?’”
Anderson, a former Iola Area Chamber of Commerce director, now works for the Kansas Department of Commerce as a regional project manager for Southeast Kansas. Her focus is on business and community development.
For a town Iola’s size, 5,600, it has a wide variety of businesses and services, Anderson said. Out of a list of 24 services — from furniture and appliances to medical supplies and clothing — the only items no longer sold in town are books, magazines and CDs.
“Iola really has good shopping,” she said.
Another advantage is its being at least 100 miles from the nearest city.
“Communities that lie within an hour of a shopping mall are losing their downtowns to what shoppers perceive as better deals,” Anderson said.
‘What’s Iola’s secret?’
