Chamber sends out SOS to stimulate shopping
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Chamber president Lea Chrisawn says the organization plans to work in concert with other government entities to facilitate existing businesses and recruit new retailers into the area, both of which she feels are essential to the continued growth of Warren County.
“We have a retail development group that has been formed,” Chrisawn said. “It’s called GROW, and that’s an acronym standing for Giving Retailers Opportunities to Win.”
Tennessee Valley Authority, a sponsor, has provided the team with access to databases and other research companies to help the group obtain information about targeting retail outlets to aid in their special type of recruiting.
“Industrial recruiting and retail recruiting are not the same animal,” Chrisawn said, though the group will be working closely with the Industrial Development Board on overlapping projects where industry might follow retail recruiting or vice versa. Chrisawn says one of the big differences is the lack of incentives for retail recruiting as opposed to industry, where the state allows a wide range of low-interest loans, tax breaks and other incentives for industry, though the Main Street program is offering some help for the downtown area.
“Incentives like facade grants and awning grants and some low-interest loans, things like that,” Chrisawn said.
But one of the most important aspects of the program is an effort to educate the public about the importance of promoting the community on a personal level. Chrisawn says both retail companies and industry are constantly canvassing communities with the aim of possibly locating there.
“We have people who come into our community all the time and we don’t know it,” Chrisawn said. “Every person in this community sells this community. When they stop at the gas station and they go in and they ask the kid behind the counter, ‘What’s going on?’ And the kid says, ‘Oh, there’s nothing going on. This is the worst place in the world.’ They’ve just sold out our community. Our community doesn’t stand much of a chance after something like that.”
Chrisawn says representatives will visit restaurants and talk to people, and even visit businesses and ask how they are doing, and it is very important to present a positive image.
“When we are negative about our community,” Chrisawn said, “it keeps other businesses from wanting to come and locate here.”
Also in the works is the Chamber’s SOS Squared program, which stands for “Shop Our Stores – Save Our Schools.”
“Our sales tax dollars stay here,” Chrisawn said, “and work for our school system.”
Chrisawn acknowledges that it’s fun to shop in other communities or on the Internet, but it’s important to try to shop at home as much as possible.
“If you’re browsing on the Internet and you find something, chances are some business in our area, in our community, can get that for you,” Chrisawn said. “So we’re encouraging, particularly school employees, anybody employed by the school system, to shop at home.”
The program provides a card with discounts from a wide variety of local businesses. The cards are currently only being offered to school system employees, since they are the ones being targeted, and to spouses of local soldiers in the 278th. But if the program is successful it may be expanded, according to Chrisawn.
For more information on these and other programs, contact the Chamber at 473-6611.