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FARMVILLE – If you want businesses to stay in downtown, you have to address their needs. That’s the plan behind a new retail committee launched by the Farmville Downtown Partnership. 

As part of their work to improve the life of the downtown area, the non-profit has created a new committee to specifically focus on the retail operations. 

The Farmville Downtown Partnership’s mission is to bring together residents, merchants and students in Farmville to preserve the role of downtown as the center of the historic community as well as plan for its future. To create a future for Farmville as a profitable place to live, learn, open a business and visit, the partnership has numerous committees already in place. 

Why was it created?

The group’s promotions committee focuses on bringing attention and business to the downtown locations through events and other activities. In its January meeting, the members realized they may have too much on their plate as they are already preparing for the holiday season among other events. These events focus on bringing attention to downtown regardless of the business. Feeling like retailers may need extra attention, the members came up with the idea of creating a retail subcommittee. 

“We feel like retailers have specific needs and we want to meet those needs,” said Nancy Alexander, executive director of the Farmville Downtown Partnership. “In order to do that we need to have them involved to find out what those needs are.”

According to Alexander, even with the short time the idea has been out, the committee already has a solid start. Members started playing with the idea and soon a committee was formed with Sundari Morgan at Lex on Main and Amber Talley at Talley’s Jeweler as co-chairs and Jake Romaine of The Attic taking on a lot of the initiative to get other retailers on board. 

What will the retail committee do?

The retail committee will focus on targeting the needs of retailers in downtown to bring people into the stores. With the committee being made up of various retailers from downtown, the committee meetings can provide a space for them to share ideas and create solutions as each member will bring a different set of experience and expertise. 

“Some realtors have been there for years and others a year,” said Alexander. “Bringing them together with their different perspectives will build a stronger downtown community.”

Alexander hopes to eventually create similar committees for the other types of businesses downtown, like restaurants, so that they can also create a support system and a stronger downtown community.