As stated in a previous entry, the primary reason why an overwhelming majority of new retail developments lease to national chains rather than local independent businesses is that chains can pay higher rents.  They’re able to do so because they already have an established customer base before they open.  This makes it extremely difficult to establish a natural cultural district, which is why we have ‘Anywhere USA’ instead.

How can local indie shops and restaurants compete with such a crippling disadvantage?  They can tap into the same power behind branding that chains do, except instead of a national brand they need to crowdsource a community brand that ensures a loyal following on opening day.

How much easier it would be to compete with a loyal following of several hundred customers already eagerly awaiting the business’s opening day.  Check out the process here.

This is an excerpt from the CoolTown visual crowdsourced placemaking guide.