Second in The ‘Fringe’s limited online series on rural/rurban development is Becky McCray, author of Small Biz Survival.  Not only has Becky created a great rural and small town business resource, she’s also an entrepreneur, social media consultant, and small biz speaker.  I was fortunate to connect with Becky last year, contributed a guest post to her site, and asked if she would be willing to share her insight here as well … and I’m glad she did.  I also offer a similar Canadian example below.  Enjoy! 

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Creating Artist Alley

By Becky McCray

At the recent Oklahoma Entrepreneur’s Conference, a panel of communities shared how they had become more entrepreneurial.  I want to share some stories from Mangum, Oklahoma. 

“If you count every man, woman, child, and chicken, we have 2,500,” Maxine Thomason said.  She is the mayor of Mangum, a former program manager of Mangum Main Street, and a 30-year teacher.

“Survival for a small towns is not a given,” she continued, “You have to work at it.”

Mangum chose the Main Street program as their stepping off point to work at survival.  “We don’t have the workforce or space for a manufacturer, so we have to offer a niche market,” Thomason said.

They ended up in the artist business.  Mangum’s Artist Alley is now famous in Oklahoma.  It started with an individual artist setting up a studio.  Then a few artists joined in … and it has now expanded to other entrepreneurial businesses moving into downtown.   

They do lots of advertising to bring in visitors.  One innovative tactic Thomason mentioned was an established business allowed artists to ‘piggy back’ on their newspaper inserts.

They made use of the state Main Street program.  Oklahoma Main Street has an architect service, at no extra charge.  Mangum used the Main Street architect to guide the remodeling of four storefronts.  It was formerly an Otasco [hardware store] and is now a local home centre, with a little bit of everything and is thriving.

The City of Mangum established a Revolving Loan Fund for local businesses.  They funded it through a grant by the United State Department of Agriculture.  The local Main Street committee offered $500 matching grants for facade improvements.  “It’s small, but it’s enough to start changes,” Thomason said.

The local Main Street also became a clearinghouse for available resources for small businesses.

“There’s lots of assistance out there,” Thomason concluded,” but sometimes it’s finding it.”

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In the case of Rosebud, Alberta, the arts became the means to an end … the end being the revitalization of their rural economy. 

Facing the decline of their community, concerned citizens created an arts school and rural theatre, retrofitting older, existing buildings for their use, and encouraging other street-level improvements.

This entrepreneurial activity, coupled with historic building facade restoration, encouraged related businesses to develop.  Today, individual art studios, retail shops, fine arts and crafts outlets, a general store, a museum, and a few B&B’s exist side-by side.  Jobs were created.  Shared facilities and resources were developed.  Enthusiasm grew.

It wasn’t easy and they didn’t do it alone.  Federal and provincial grants provided a variety of funding avenues, and partnerships with other businesses, community groups, and regional agencies provided invaluable contacts, access to resources, financing, and more.  

Motivated by this ongoing success, the Rosebud School of the Arts & Theatre is embarking on its largest project yet … restoring its historic mercantile building into a hospitality/administrative/retail space called Rosebud Centre.

All this … from a community of 100, but with a heart 10 times its size.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Related Posts:

• Beyond Economic Survival: 97 Ways Small Communities Can Thrive
• Focus on Creating Value for Local Customers
• Breaking Myths About the Economic Contribution of Rural Communities
• Do Small Communities Foster Entrepreneurship?
• The Facts About Entrepreneurship

I’ve been catching up at FarmOn.com these last few days … with a post about why branding your beef (or any other ag product) is important to the consumer. 

You can find more information about such product branding at Government of Alberta, Agriculture and Rural Development’s website.

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Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada offers a Career Focus Program aimed at recent graduates in agriculture, agri-food, agri-food science, and veterinary medicine as well as potential employers with jobs in these areas.

The program provides matching funding for salaries and benefits up to $20,000 for a maximum of 12 months of work experience. 

Of special note for this year, the program is retroactive to April 1, 2009, which means those qualifying businesses or agencies that have hired these types of graduates could be eligible for funding.

Visit the website for more information or call 1-866-452-5558 toll-free.

Related Posts:

• Success … at any Cost?
• A Looming Ag Industry Crisis
• The Big Business of Farmer’s Markets & Ag Matchmaking
• Green Streets Program Funding Open!
• Funding Available to Celebrate Canada!

1. Evidence of Community Pride – Successful communities are often showplaces of care, attention, history, and heritage.
2. Emphasis on Quality in Business and Community Life- People believe that something worth doing is worth doing right.
3. Willingness to Invest in the Future – In addition to the brick-and-mortar investment, all decisions are made with an outlook on the future.
4. Participatory Approach to Community Decision Making – Even the most powerful of opinion leaders seem to work toward building consensus.
5. Cooperative Community Spirit – The stress is on working together toward a common goal and the focus is on positive results.
6. Realistic Appraisal of Future Opportunities – Successful communities have learned how to build on strengths and minimize weaknesses.
7. Awareness of Competitive Positioning – Local loyalty is emphasized, but thriving communities know who their competitors are and position themselves accordingly.
8. Knowledge of the Physical Environment – Relative location and available natural resources underscore decision-making.
9. Active Economic Development Program – There is an organized, public/private approach to economic development.
10. Deliberate Transition of Power to a Younger Generation of Leaders – People under 40 regularly hold key positions in civic and business affairs.
11. Celebration of Diversity in Leadership- Women, minorities, youth and newcomers are welcomed into leadership circles where their ideas are treated as opportunities.
12. Strong Belief In and Support For Education – Good schools are the norm and centres of community activity.
13. Problem-solving Approach to Providing Health Care – Health care is considered essential, and smart strategies are in place for diverse methods of delivery.
14. Strong Multi-Generational Family Orientation – The definition of family is broad, and activities include younger as well as older generations.
15. Strong Presence of Traditional Institutions that are Integral to Community Life – Churches, schools, and service clubs are strong influences on community development and social activities.
16. Sound and Well-Maintained Infrastructure – Leaders work hard to maintain and improve streets, sidewalks, water systems, and sewage facilities.
17. Careful Use of Fiscal Resources – Frugality is a way of life and expenditures are considered in investments in the future.
18. Sophisticated Use of Technology Resources – Leaders access information that is beyond the knowledge base available in the community.
19. Willingness to Seek Help from the Outside – People seek outside help for community needs, and many compete for government grant and contracts for economic and social programs.
20. Conviction that, in the Long Run, You Have to Do It Yourself - Thriving rural communities believe their destiny is in their own hands.  Making their communities good places is a pro-active assignment, and they willingly accept it.

Source:  Heartland Centre for Leadership Development

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