A new merchants association in Newport is taking aim at issues affecting lower Thames Street business, including the plethora of storefronts that have been vacated in recent months.
Jerry Schlichting, president of the new Lower Thames Street Business Association and owner of Frazzleberries Country Store, said the group of retailers and nonprofit organizations is looking to collaborate on marketing and branding plans to attract people to the district.
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Joint advertising ventures will have the group promote the area as an independent, vibrant district of commerce, he said.
“There is an optimism that by working together we can grow the area,” Schlichting said.
The group has been meeting on Tuesday mornings at various member businesses. The group is attempting to be methodical as it approaches short- and long-term goals, he said.
The area, which the group defines as the region of Thames Street between Warren Avenue and Memorial Boulevard, is home to an array of shops and restaurants, including Island Outfitters and the restaurant Pronto’s.
Sitting along the waterfront on Newport Harbor, lower Thames Street has attracted tourists and visitors to the region since it first became a commercial district.
But the creation of the group comes at a time when the shopping district has witnessed turnovers in occupancy. At the beginning of 2006, nearly 20 of the street’s 70 retail locations were empty. In addition, Schlichting said, lower Thames Street has lost several “legacy businesses,” including TJ’s Chandlery and Christmas by the Sea.
However, Schlichting said, the drop-off in business that led to the closings has not hit everyone on the block.
“There really is a mixed sense of emotions in the community,” Schlichting said. “Clearly, there are some businesses that have seen some better days. But if you look down there now, there are some businesses that are expanding.”
Edward Mazze, dean of the University of Rhode Island’s College of Business, said several issues have hurt “Main Street” areas such as lower Thames.
In many cases, the boutique shopping experience has difficulty competing with malls because the larger shopping centers offer more parking and more predictability of store hours, Mazze said. It has happened throughout the state and country.
“This is a problem in most of the communities in Rhode Island, including Providence,” Mazze said. “Westminster Street and Washington Street both have the same problem.”
Newport County Chamber of Commerce President Keith W. Stokes echoed Mazze’s remarks, adding that rising energy costs, as well as the regular ebb and flow of the market, have slowed the retail economy.
Business associations such as the newly formed one have been attempted across the country, Mazze said. However, they have been successful only when the groups were able to keep collaboration going, something Mazze said can be difficult because business owners often consider themselves independent.
In some communities, he said, foundations and governments have bankrolled a “Main Street coordinator,” an individual who oversees the district and promotes its advancement. Westerly and South Kingstown have had the position at various times, he said.
Both Mazze and Stokes said the area could benefit from events to promote the region, such as street fairs and expos. In addition, the uniqueness of Main Street should be part of what draws people to the community.
“What makes the stores on Thames Street stand out is that they have unique, eclectic and alternative shopping experiences,” Stokes said.
But Stokes said the businesses in the area should focus on what they can control. National problems, such as energy costs, affect the local businesses and trends change.
In fact, Stokes said, the Thames Street region was known for its rum distilleries in the early 20th century.
“We don’t sell rum today – it’s rum and Coke,” Stokes said. “The market changes.”
