Avilla downtown revitalization starts with dreams and hard work

by Julie Scher
What do you want your downtown to be? That’s the question John Bry asked a group of 14 Avilla business owners, building owners and others at the St. James Restaurant recently to begin the process of recreating downtown Avilla.

Those same discussions are happening all over Noble County in small towns just like Avilla who have empty buildings and under-utilized buildings downtown, looking for some other useful task in the 21st century. And, like Avilla, those old buildings have been around a 100 years or more, and seen lots of history and human activity; and want to see more.

And groups of people in most of the small towns in Noble County, like Avilla, are agreeing that they want to do something to revive downtowns. But it has to be something different. And change is difficult.

“The days of shopping downtown, those days are gone,” said Bry. “Now you have to decide what you want your downtown to be, who your customers are. Like who your anchors are, like St. James in Avilla, and supporting stores like the post office and Lillian Rose Florist. Your infrastructure is already here, now you need to upgrade it and build on it.”

Bry is the county tourism bureau director, and talked about what the town needs to do to revive the downtown. “Tourism looks at all our assets and how we can use them for our advantage.”

Noble County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau is working with small towns in the county to bring life to their downtowns, bring visitors into towns, and help local economies.

First, the community decides goals for Avilla. Bry will help provide a framework to follow to develop goals.

“People judge your community by your downtown. Even corporations looking to relocate here will judge you by that,” said Bry. “Great downtowns are created by pulling together and getting resources. Every town can do this. If you can’t, the community is to blame. It’s up to you.”

Avilla’s historic downtown can be used as an advantage. St. James Restaurant building is over 100 years old, and has been lovingly cared for, and is a big reason people travel from far away to eat there. And if you haven’t been in the old post office building, next to Julie’s Pizza, stop in and say hi to Kari Geary, owner of Lillian Rose Florist. You won’t know you are in the same building where you used to get your mail.

Bry also recommended using the town’s Lima Plant Road heritage, and the growing popularity of the ride and walk railway trails popping up around the state and in Michigan.

“Parking is not the main issue downtown. If people want something, they will come and buy it,” said Bry. “Parking is part, but not the sole reason people come downtown.”

Bry also cautioned that there are no quick fixes, but reviving the downtown will be a process over time, years.

The Main Street Approach was outlined by Bry:
- not just a pretty downtown as the goal
- economic changes to bring economic life
- comprehensive
- incremental
- self help
- partnerships
- quality
- change
- identity, capitalize on assets
- implementation
“You can’t just depend on grants,” said Bry. “You need creative financing.”

Here’s the four points of revitalizing downtown:
- design
- organization
- promotion
- economic restructuring
Answer these questions: what’s our market now, and what’s our resources?

Noble County has advantages because its a hub of entrepreneurialism. Make sure existing businesses are healthy, some will die a slow death, and that’s OK, said Bry. “You have to adapt and change as the market changes; it’s a continual process.”

The most important thing is to get everyone working toward the same goals.

Bry said interest in downtowns is growing among young people who value walkable communities, downtowns; businesses within walking and biking distance from homes. Avilla has an advantage in walkability.

The town needs a shared vision; to be bold; a grassroots effort; innovative; long term commitment; dream and reality.

“It’s not cheap or easy, and not everyone will like it,” said Bry.

The group chose Geary as its president. Everyone is welcome to join the effort. Watch the AvilLaOtto NooZ website at avilla.org for the date and time of the meeting, or contact Geary or Julie Scher at the NooZ.

The group will meet at St. James during the first week of December to dream, and plan and create a better downtown for us and our children.