Chamber thinks competition will benefit retailers

By CHARLES W. JOHNSON / News Editor for the Southern Standard

CHRISAWN

Local retailers who want to compare notes and network with others will get their chance this week when the Chamber of Commerce holds its first McMinnville Retailers Conference. The event is scheduled for Thursday at 2:30 p.m. and will be held in the Magnolia Room of the county administration building.

Chamber president Lea Chrisawn said the event is designed to encourage local businesses to work together to improve the economy.

“What we want to do is sort of plant the seed of our growing together. Not so much thinking competition is a bad aspect of retailer’s life. The more retailers we can get in our location, the more people will come, and they will shop at all the different businesses,” she said. “We all benefit.”

Chrisawn said some businesses have already learned the benefits of this retail model.

“The mall concept has figured this out,” she said, noting Jamey Dowdy, manager of the local JCPenney agrees.

“He said anytime Goody’s has a sale, JCPenney benefits, and anytime there’s a sale at JCPenney, Goody’s will benefit, and so will Hibbetts and so will the book store. It’s just getting people into that location, into that area,” Chrisawn said. “And if we can get them into McMinnville, it’s going to benefit everybody.”

The Chamber also plans to mount a “shop at home” campaign to encourage shoppers to frequent local businesses as well as providing up-to-date information about those businesses.

“We’re going to create a retailers guide,” Chrisawn said. “We’ve not had that before. We’ll have different segments like specialty shops, clothing or shoes, antiques or whatever.”

That guide, along with an updated entertainment guide which includes restaurants, hotels, motels and tourist attractions, will be sent out monthly to prospective shoppers and provided to visitors to the county.

Chrisawn said surveys will be handed out at the conference to gain input from local retailers.

“We want to know what the businesses need,” she said. “We want to encourage our businesses and encourage our retailers, because we know sometimes you feel like you’re out there all alone and with this group, all of a sudden you’re in with a lot of other folks that are facing the same challenges. So it’s a good way of supporting each other.

For more information on the conference, contact the Chamber of Commerce at 473-6611.