FAIRMONT - Pages and pages of ideas for Fairmont's downtown area covered the wall Tuesday night at Red Rock Center for the Arts, the results of a brainstorming session for people interested in seeing the area succeed.
"We're here to talk not about obstacles but opportunities," said Mike Riley, who spearheaded the Fairmont Lakes Historic & Arts District task force. "... If restoring this grand building is possible, revitalizing the downtown is possible."
Nancy Pehling, a professional business consultant from North Mankato, led the session with leading questions, asking people to imagine an amazing, thriving downtown developing in the next three to five years.
"Think about what it would take to get there," she said. "... No idea is too small or too big."
With encouragement from Pehling, the conversation began and continued for the next two hours, with 50-some people sharing suggestions - and sometimes frustrations - for Fairmont's downtown area.
On the wish list were a plethora of new businesses - a bakery, a coffee shop, locally run restaurants, retail, specialty shops, a fabric store, a bed-and-breakfast, a local food co-op and more. But the brainstorming didn't end there. Ways to attract people and bring these new businesses to the area also were discussed.
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Promoting the community's history and lakes was a common theme Tuesday, with ideas ranging from creating a true historic district, to advertising near the interstate to let visitors know where the lakes and downtown are.
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Amping up the arts could attract more people to Fairmont, and, as one young woman said, better express the community's persona.
Murals, inside and out, might add visual interest for the downtown, along with arts festivals; housing and workspace for artists; art walks, with each store carrying a different artists' work; poetry stamped into the sidewalks; cast pigs on the corners for a quirky, fun display of Fairmont's agricultural heritage; traveling sculptures; and restoration of the old advertisements barely visible on buildings' exteriors.
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None of these ideas will succeed, business owners pointed out, if Fairmont residents don't support the downtown.
"We need Fairmont people to support Fairmont businesses," a woman said. "We have to figure out a way to get them to shop local. ... Why don't we just support ourselves and our own?
Pehling, in response, suggested a campaign to change Fairmonters' attitudes.
A declining population was cited by a man for a reason Fairmont's downtown is no longer the thriving place it once was.
"We have 6,000 people less than we used to. That's what's hurting," he said. "... I'm not trying to be negative."
Pehling agreed changing demographics and real statistics are important to consider for prospective business owners to have a better understanding of who is in town and what they want.
Also important to understand are obstacles preventing the downtown's success.
Jeff and Denise Rouse, who own and operate several endeavors on downtown, said the storefronts aren't empty for a lack of interest.
"People have approached us about starting all these things," Jeff said, referring to the bakery and coffee shops many local residents crave. "... We need to figure out why people are not proceeding."
His wife had an answer.
"The overhead just kills you," Denise said.
An incubator system might be the solution to help start-up businesses, said Mike Humpal, Fairmont's assistant city administrator, describing small units within a building that would be available for rent. About six years ago, the city and Chamber of Commerce researched the idea and launched it but were unable to get five people to sign up.
"At that time, I don't think there was enough interest," Humpal said. "I still think it's a good idea. ... The plan is still in my office. It would be very easy to dust off if people are interested in doing that."
Anyone with ideas for the downtown community or a desire to volunteer with the historic arts district is encouraged to contact Mike Riley (507) 235-5538 at Profinium Financial.