Special Merchant Mixer meeting minutes and WLKY video link.

Here are the minutes from this morning's meetings (courtesy of Curt and Pam Peters), as well as the link to WLKY-32's meeting coverage.

Business Owners Staying Positive: Bridge Closure Affecting New Albany Businesses

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NEW ALBANY DOWNTOWN MERCHANTS’ MEETING

Tuesday, September 13, 2011, 8:00 a.m.

Approximately 50 merchants representing downtown New Albany businesses met at the Grand Theater on Market Street for a motivational meeting to share ideas as to how we can work together after the closing of the Sherman Minton Bridge.

Many people expressed the idea that the key to our continued success at keeping the current momentum going in downtown New Albany is to remain positive. It is too early to tell what the impact will be for downtown merchants, but we must all begin tracking customers for at least six months so that we have a record of where customers are coming from and when they are coming. Mike Ladd of Urban Enterprise Association plans to get a picture of the economy on the Indiana side of the Ohio River by collecting such information merchants will send him. He will communicate via email the form for merchants to use in collecting the data and will create an excel spreadsheet to tabulate information. In this way we may be able to see what Kentucky brings into our community.

Many of the positive steps we can take are as follows:

• We must put forward new efforts to market Indiana communities such as Clarksville, Jeffersonville, Hamburg, Sellersburg, Georgetown, Corydon and others. This is a great opportunity to reach people who do not know about all the business venues downtown New Albany.

• Think about what other modes of transportation could be developed between southern Indiana communities of New Albany, Clarksville and Jeffersonville and others.

• DNA (Develop New Albany, Inc.) will be putting up billboards prior to Harvest Homecoming to get the word out as to what downtown New Albany has to offer. It was suggested they emphasize a website for further information.

• Re-examine all signage and highlight it.

• Harvest Homecoming should add a major theme “Support New Albany.”

• Do more with joint advertising.

• Merchants need to get their staff “on board” so they continue to be upbeat with customers.

• Employees need to be oriented as to what is available in downtown New Albany. A New Albany directory needs to be distributed to each business. DNA has already produced a map of downtown businesses which is going into its second printing.

• Service at our restaurants needs to be top-notch to keep people coming back.

• Produce something—possibly on DNA web page—highlighting various merchants.

• Create a t-shirt using the theme “I survived the Sherman Minton Bridge Closing”. Use the tag line “We are surviving” in various ways.

• DNA can be used as a clearinghouse to create links to all the business websites.

• Businesses were encouraged to keep their normal business hours, not panic or shift hours around.

• Utilize the TV morning shows to get the word out.

The meeting was extremely upbeat. Carl Malysz said it all when he expressed the following:

NEW ALBANY IS CONVENIENT, ECONOMICAL, NOT CONGESTED. NOTHING HAS CHANGED AND WE CONTINUE TO HAVE GREAT RESTAURANTS AND MANY BUSINESSES WHICH OFFER SERVICES THE PUBLIC NEEDS1

A follow-up meeting will be held at the Grand Theater next Tuesday, September 19, at 8:00 a.m.