In the perfect illustration of what could be too little too late, the Downtown Branson Main Street Association, DBMA, recently held “visioning meetings” to discuss what one newspaper reported as the desire of the downtown merchants “to keep up with the Joneses.” In this case the “Joneses” happen to be the Branson Landing project currently being constructed on the Lake Taneycomo Lakefront just the other side of the tracks from historic down town Branson.
“But Seagull isn’t Branson Landing part of historic downtown Branson?”
“How historic is “500,000 square feet of retail space (over 100 shops) and several marinas,” multi-story buildings, condominiums, and hotels being built on top of the 12 to 16 feet of fill that has been placed on top of the historic buildings and structures which were bulldozed to make way for their construction?”
Newspaper reports of the meeting reported that one of the reasons that “the members of the Downtown Branson Main Street Association are creating a new vision to revive the old sector” is “to ensure that those customers [Branson Landing’s] migrate uphill to the 311 businesses in the historic district.” The reality of the situation is that there is a Branson Landing project and an historic downtown Branson. Even as each business in town competes with each other for customers and the dollars they spend so too will historic downtown Branson be competing with Branson Landing in a similar manner.
If you were operating a shop or restaurant in Branson Landing, just how much effort would you put into encouraging your potential customers to “migrate uphill to the 311 businesses in the historic district?” How much sense does it make for a restaurant in Branson Landing to actively participate in anything that will have their potential customers leave the vicinity of their business and migrate up the hill to other restaurants to eat? An Ole Seagull would suggest that the answer to both of these questions is “Not much.”
And besides, on the typical Sunday or after 7 p.m. in the evening, what is there for visitors to historic downtown Branson to do? Outside of Dicks 5 and 10, what is it that would make someone want to either visit historic downtown Branson or “migrate uphill” from Branson Landing?
“Well got you there Seagull. Isn’t one of things they are ‘visioning’ about, the fact that “businesses need to stay open in the evening to attract younger visitors?”
“Visioning and doing are two different things.”
When the Ole Seagull was on the board of DBMA a few years ago Steve Hartley, of Dick’s 5 and 10, easily the biggest attraction in historic downtown Branson, encouraged downtown businesses to stay open later in the evenings and on Sundays like Dick’s did. Despite his excellent rational what was the response? Minimal at best and six years later the downtown businesses are still talking about the need to remain open past 7 p.m. because there is so little for people to do in the downtown in the evenings.
“But Seagull didn’t DBMA and its members actively support the Branson Landing Project including a large newspaper ad?”
“Yes, even to the extent of its Executive Director proclaiming ‘Yea! Yea!… It’s a “Wow!’ when the Branson Landing ground breaking was announced.”
“Are they masochists; what did the members of DBMA get for all their support?”
“Well the developers did announce that one of the themed districts within Branson landing will be called ‘Downtown.'”
An Ole Seagull would suggest that historic downtown Branson is a “dead man walking” if its vision is based on getting Branson Landing’s customers to migrate up the hill. Rather, it should be focused on having the customers of historic downtown Branson “migrating down the hill” and the financing, support, commitment, and dedication that it will take to make that happen.
“Do you see that happening?”
“If history is any indication, not really but in the words of Alexander Pope “Hope springs eternal in the human breast.
