Downtown—a community’s heart

by Larry Meyer
MRA Chairman and CEO

This month, I’m in the field with the MRA marketing representatives. We are visiting members in each territory, from the Upper Peninsula to Monroe to Holland and Kalamazoo—and lots of places in between. Thus far, we have covered much of the central areas of the state.

A couple of impressions: One, it is good for me to get out of Lansing and visit with members in their stores. Two, these trips have reestablished in my mind, the great importance of downtown areas.

I try to get out in the field as often as possible. I attend a lot of meetings and make speeches all around our great state. But those trips are in and out, and I don’t spend a lot of time looking around the area and just visiting with people. In fact, seldom do I have enough time even to shop. But not so this time.

Each day, my plan is to sample a day in the life of a marketing representative, to get a first-hand look at how we sell to prospective members and how we service our existing members. It makes for a great day.
I’m reminded that customer service is of utmost importance to keep members and to grow. Just as it is part of the success of any retailer, so, too, is it part of the success of MRA.

I’ve also been struck by the notable vitality that I’m seeing in our state’s downtown areas.

For my entire career, I have repeatedly said that the reputation and image of an area lies in its downtown. People don’t remember or focus on the bedroom community. The buzz is always: “What is the downtown like?”

Let me tell you, I’ve found them alive and prospering. Not everything is perfect, but what is?

I see increased residential space, for example, using the flats above stores. What a great use of a space that in many places had fallen into disuse over the years!

And the resident base is diverse: young, older, different ethnic groups—a real-world mix. This diversity is making our downtowns come alive in the evening—not everyone is going back to suburbia to sleep. It is a good thing.

I’m also noticing a real diversity of merchants, much more than in the past. Unique, one-of-a-kind shops, gifts stores with highly specialized niches, like one that will find a plate to complete a customer’s china set. Or like the fabric shop that uses the Internet to sell all over the world, right next door to a 100-year-old jeweler that has served the community through three generations and has the fourth sitting at the bench.

While I’m in the field I try to visit with our members who support our PAC (Political Action Committee) efforts, because we need to make sure that government understands the importance of retail.

In addition, I visit with our stores that have been in business for 100 years, our centennial retailers— stores that are often located in the heart of downtown, whether in a mid-sized city like Marquette or the small hamlet of Waltz.

We need to continue to stress the importance of our downtown areas to our governmental officials, so that it does all tie together.

Visiting with our member stores has been a good experience. If I’ve visited your store, thanks for the insights. If I haven’t, perhaps I’ll visit you in the next few years. But don’t wait for my visit to share your retail insights with us. Give us a call or send a letter or e-mail.

We are your association.