Been through both recently! And I grew up in a cluster of towns with similar dynamics. Agree on a lot of the observations. Additionally:
The development of strip malls - or a town's failure to obstruct them while facilitating a "main street" - kills the walkable main street vibe. Car drivers don't want the "walkable" thing every day & hand all of their business over to whoever provides the most ample parking along the easiest-to-access roads. Clinton had stuff along the NJ-31 corridor already & it was too much for a developer to come in and blast everything apart for strip malls, given the opportunities available. But Flemington is a beneficial confluence of highways for the highway retail developer. Sadly, what they build on their own advice is usually garbage. It is fine to let them be if they're doing this in the middle of nowhere, but they sucked the life out of so many small well-established towns in the Northeast when they appeared with their strip malls in the last 75 years.
The clumsy shop planning is typical in low-traffic areas, it's what you get when you don't try to coordinate anything and the barriers to entry are only moderate. (And everyone is doomed anyway) The opposite end of the spectrum of this is fascistic - picture a McDonald's or Starbucks existing in a building that does not even have the standard logos outside because the "shopping centre" dictates the external look of the building and a standard size/type signage placement for each of the businesses, no exceptions. But somewhere in the middle, there's the idea that you, as a municipal leader, take some initiative to structure a Main Street area by zoning the area firmly, coordinating the landlords, and providing a transportation scheme that doesn't devolve into traffic chaos like a lot of small NJ towns did at the age of the automobile. The hope is that small businesses (which can benefit from free government resources that are cheap to provide) approach the situation and grow into it naturally, rather than trying to buck it. I think, the more you invite chain stores and big box stores to do anything they want, the more you're going to get their culture and their land use needs imposed on you rather than the other way around.
The good news is, if you want SOME chain retail but not a full takeover, some of the retail chains adapt where needed, because they want to be in a hot market regardless, and in that case they're usually fine unless they're specifically putting mom & pop shops out of business a block away.
The hamlet/village of Katonah in Westchester, NY is a model for all of this with a fascinating background (including moving the whole town for a reservoir & tales, which I could not verify at this moment, of pressuring chain stores not to move in with very tight municipal restrictions)
One of the things I've admired about Cincinnati's College Hill neighborhood is its
development corporation's program for helping small businesses get started and thrive. It provides both hands-on and financial help. Something similar might work well in your hometown: https://chcurc.com/small-business-support/.
I wish we had a similar program in my city neighborhood.
Couple thoughts - in the suburb I live in (San Bruno, CA) - Main Street (San Mater Ave) DOES have small grocers and a hardware store, as well as gyms and thrift stores, interspersed with typical main streety stuff (a jeweler, a bunch of small restaurants, a bar, a florist, ice creaam) and then also has a lot of things for kids (dance schools, swim schools, karate, etc).
I think if Clinton exists so close by, Flemington's downtown does need to be different than just quaint-small town to draw people in. And I also think the less professional vibe could be a draw but...maybe not as much of one in a sleepy small town.
But as you've said before, I think the fact that small-scale retail is taking place is a very good sign that things will trend in the right direction. For years, that had to happen only in strip malls. It's good that it's happening in main street areas again.
Oh I wanted to also say - San Mateo Ave is something people want to "beautify" and attract more people to. Which is good! But I also think there are a lot of towns nearby - most notably Burlingame - that have the cute, vibrant, night-lifey downtown that San Mateo Ave would have to compete with. If anything, I think San Bruno should double down on its utility - a place to go to get things done, and then pleasant enough to hang out. Lots of people want to add parking, instead I think they need to improve bus service and make the main road adjacent a bit less intimidating to cross.
Been through both recently! And I grew up in a cluster of towns with similar dynamics. Agree on a lot of the observations. Additionally:
The development of strip malls - or a town's failure to obstruct them while facilitating a "main street" - kills the walkable main street vibe. Car drivers don't want the "walkable" thing every day & hand all of their business over to whoever provides the most ample parking along the easiest-to-access roads. Clinton had stuff along the NJ-31 corridor already & it was too much for a developer to come in and blast everything apart for strip malls, given the opportunities available. But Flemington is a beneficial confluence of highways for the highway retail developer. Sadly, what they build on their own advice is usually garbage. It is fine to let them be if they're doing this in the middle of nowhere, but they sucked the life out of so many small well-established towns in the Northeast when they appeared with their strip malls in the last 75 years.
The clumsy shop planning is typical in low-traffic areas, it's what you get when you don't try to coordinate anything and the barriers to entry are only moderate. (And everyone is doomed anyway) The opposite end of the spectrum of this is fascistic - picture a McDonald's or Starbucks existing in a building that does not even have the standard logos outside because the "shopping centre" dictates the external look of the building and a standard size/type signage placement for each of the businesses, no exceptions. But somewhere in the middle, there's the idea that you, as a municipal leader, take some initiative to structure a Main Street area by zoning the area firmly, coordinating the landlords, and providing a transportation scheme that doesn't devolve into traffic chaos like a lot of small NJ towns did at the age of the automobile. The hope is that small businesses (which can benefit from free government resources that are cheap to provide) approach the situation and grow into it naturally, rather than trying to buck it. I think, the more you invite chain stores and big box stores to do anything they want, the more you're going to get their culture and their land use needs imposed on you rather than the other way around.
The good news is, if you want SOME chain retail but not a full takeover, some of the retail chains adapt where needed, because they want to be in a hot market regardless, and in that case they're usually fine unless they're specifically putting mom & pop shops out of business a block away.
The hamlet/village of Katonah in Westchester, NY is a model for all of this with a fascinating background (including moving the whole town for a reservoir & tales, which I could not verify at this moment, of pressuring chain stores not to move in with very tight municipal restrictions)
Really great comment. This is the kind of thing I'm hoping folks leave here.
One of the things I've admired about Cincinnati's College Hill neighborhood is its
development corporation's program for helping small businesses get started and thrive. It provides both hands-on and financial help. Something similar might work well in your hometown: https://chcurc.com/small-business-support/.
I wish we had a similar program in my city neighborhood.
That's a great idea. I've heard of it before. I'm pretty sure we don't have anything like it!
Couple thoughts - in the suburb I live in (San Bruno, CA) - Main Street (San Mater Ave) DOES have small grocers and a hardware store, as well as gyms and thrift stores, interspersed with typical main streety stuff (a jeweler, a bunch of small restaurants, a bar, a florist, ice creaam) and then also has a lot of things for kids (dance schools, swim schools, karate, etc).
I think if Clinton exists so close by, Flemington's downtown does need to be different than just quaint-small town to draw people in. And I also think the less professional vibe could be a draw but...maybe not as much of one in a sleepy small town.
But as you've said before, I think the fact that small-scale retail is taking place is a very good sign that things will trend in the right direction. For years, that had to happen only in strip malls. It's good that it's happening in main street areas again.
Oh I wanted to also say - San Mateo Ave is something people want to "beautify" and attract more people to. Which is good! But I also think there are a lot of towns nearby - most notably Burlingame - that have the cute, vibrant, night-lifey downtown that San Mateo Ave would have to compete with. If anything, I think San Bruno should double down on its utility - a place to go to get things done, and then pleasant enough to hang out. Lots of people want to add parking, instead I think they need to improve bus service and make the main road adjacent a bit less intimidating to cross.