I can’t help but think of the missed opportunity by downtown merchants to play up tonight’s performance of “Mary Poppins.”
Their display windows could be painted with chimney sweeps, Mary Poppinses and spoonfuls of sugar. Buckets of umbrellas and brooms could be outside doorways. And direct from the script, their sidewalks could be decorated with chalk art.
The effort would be not only to promote one of the biggest productions of recent times, but also to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Iola Community Theatre.
“I wish we’d known sooner the community theatre was going to put on such a play,” said a downtown merchant at a recent gathering. “We could have coordinated promoting it.”
Instead, if a stranger, or even locals, come downtown, there’s little mention of the play, save for pint-sized posters scattered about and the moving marquee in front of the Bowlus.
As a result, ticket sales are suffering.
We can do better.
THE PURPOSE of meeting with Iola merchants was self-serving. I wanted to do a story on how they are faring, how they coordinate efforts to promote downtown shopping, and, if they had a crystal ball, what they envision for downtown Iola.
With four Iola merchants bumping both sides of 70, I also wondered, fearfully, if any had immediate plans to retire.
“Not this particular second,” said Jerry Whitworth, 72, who has managed McGinty-Whitworth for the past 46 years. The other three are Duane McGraw, also 72, who has been with Duane’s Flowers for 39 years; Glenn Coffield, 68, of Town & Country, 36 years; and Jo Ann Butler, 69, who has been with Jones Jewelry for 47 years.
I asked merchants to picture themselves in a mountainous resort town such as Estes Park, Colo., where retailers basically have a three-month window in which to base their year’s income.
That’s about the same time frame we have until Christmas, and, like Estes Park, most of us put a lot of faith in the short season of holiday sales. I proposed we do everything within our power these next three months to make this the best season in recent memory.
I also gave what some perceived as unwelcome news. If the goal is to accommodate shoppers, then downtown merchants need to keep their doors open past 5 p.m. during the week and at least until 5 p.m. on Saturdays. And it goes without saying they should keep their stores open over the noon hour.
If we put customers as our focus — and not us as business owners — we’ll both come out on top.
HOW WE ARE perceived as a community makes a big impact not only on out-of-towners but also local shoppers.
Downtown businesses should not be seen as competitors, but as partners in trying to bring more shoppers everyone’s way. I’m a firm believer in the saying “a rising tide lifts all boats.”
The more choices Iola provides, the more it is seen as a shopping destination.
What if area businesses had on their counters a slick handbill that highlighted all the downtown stores. Think how many times you’ve had out-of-towners at your business and how easy it would be to say, “If you’ve got some time to kill, we’ve got some great shopping around the square.”
And everyone who deals with the public should have at the ready information about local happenings.
That way, when someone asks what is there to do in Iola, they can mention today’s volleyball tournament at the high school, tonight’s band fundraiser at the Red Barn and tonight and Sunday’s matinee of “Mary Poppins.”
The more we see ourselves not as lone entities, but as partners, the more we’ll start acting like it.
