re: A Downtown business owner says he has had enough.

Ironic, this is the same guy who came in less than a year ago to try and make downtown a place for people to shop.

Here's how one business owner wants to improve downtown Baton Rouge's retail environment

quote:

---

A business owner is launching a campaign to increase the number of independent retailers in downtown Baton Rouge.

James Curtis has started the Grow Downtown Retail campaign by putting up flyers at his two businesses: Plantriarch, a co-working space for artists, and Outside Stimuli, a design studio and plant shop. He’s enlisted the help of other downtown businesses and a website is set to launch Thursday.

Curtis, who moved downtown four years ago and opened a business three years ago, said he started the campaign after realizing there were only three independent stores downtown.

“We get the sense that no one is looking out for us,” he said. “We want a central city infilled by other independent retailers.”

There are three steps Curtis said he would like to see happen. The first is creating an incubator to help businesses, offering training, networking and subsidized rents. “There are so many people already here,” he said. “We have the talent, we just need it to grow.”

The second is launching a campaign to encourage people to shop downtown. One model for this are the programs that started in the early days of the COVID pandemic that urged people to buy carry-out meals from local restaurants, Curtis said. “The goal should be for people to shop out to help out,” he said.

The third is to develop the kinds of amenities that downtown residents need. While there’s no shortage of places to eat and drink in the central business district, Curtis said other things are lacking. “There’s a great running culture, but no shoe shop downtown,” he said. “There’s a dog parade, but no pet store.



With downtown recovering from the COVID pandemic, which caused a lot of employees to work remotely, and new leadership with the Downtown Development District, it's the right time for a retail campaign, Curtis said.

Whitney Hoffman Sayal, who became executive director of the DDD in June, said Curtis’ campaign is a good way to engage downtown stakeholders and let people voice their opinions about downtown retail.

Increasing the amount of retailers is one of Hoffman Sayal’s stated goals and said she hopes to launch a retail study early next year. In the meantime, Hoffman Sayal said the hundreds of new parking meters that will be installed over the next month should help.

“That’s a huge first step, in terms of getting turnover in parking and making access to the retail environment easier,” she said.

---