Developing Sullivan County and Catskill’s Business Hub with OUR
Business leaders in Sullivan County and the Catskill region of New York were facing declining foot traffic in retail districts due to rising online shopping habits or traveling to big box stores in the region. Like many smaller communities, shopping habits of residents had changed leading to brick-and-mortar businesses struggling to meet rising rent and operating costs.
The Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce, through the OUR Sullivan and Catskill Business Hub, asked two questions: “Do you usually travel out of your local area to shop?” and “What does your Chamber or Association need to help with?”
In response to “Do you usually travel out of your local area to shop?” more than 70% of respondent residents and business owners said they need to travel out of the downtown retail district to get basic items at big box stores such as WalMart, Costco or Target. Several people indicated that although they enjoy browsing small shops from time to time, the smaller boutique stores don’t have what they need, with only 10% saying that the local shops offer “what they need.” In response to “What does your Chamber or Association need help with?” Leaders of local Chambers of Commerce within Sullivan County told the regional Chamber leadership that they would benefit from more round tables, resources on where to find more affordable business insurance, help with identifying volunteers who are capable of organizing community events, and avenues of funding for upgrades to their brick-and-mortar businesses. The Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce then set a series of meetings to explore new retail that could offer sundries and necessities, while taking the opportunity to educate local business owners about diversifying their retail offerings to provide more of what the community needs. Through their membership and in direct response to needs identified through the OUR app, the County Chamber also provided resources for building improvements and insurance services.
