Lots to consider in the Merchant Mixer/Downtown Business Owners minutes; next meeting is on April 24.

Thanks to Larry Ricke for taking notes. If you're doing business downtown, please come to the breakfast meeting at Bank Street Brewhouse on the 24th.

Updates: The food and drink subcommittee is being launched, and Live at 5 is being reimagined and moved to Bicentennial Park for 2013.

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Merchants Mixer Meeting 04/03/2013

The meeting was called to order by acting chairman, Larry Ricke.

Businesses in attendance were: Ricke & Associates, Colokial, Sweet Stuff, River City Winery, YMCA, New Albanian Brewing Company, the Gallery on Pearl, the Fire Museum and Develop New Albany Inc.

A submitted report was read from Mike Kopp outlining the construction progress on 234 Pearl Street, 109 E. Market Street, 153 E. Main Street and 155 E. Main Street. In addition, Mike is working with the owners of the La Rosita site to possibly add several businesses and storefronts to this location. Also, Mike is working to bring a business into the Southside Restaurant location and trying to find a developer to develop the Riverfront.

Stefanie Griffith sent a report regarding the Hop & Shop Downtown. Hours are 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Stefanie requested help in pulling together the downtown restaurants so shoppers could eat lunch before the Hop & Shop and dinner afterwards. Also, restaurants may want to run specials during the Trolley Hop & Shop to get shoppers into their restaurants.

Joe LaRocca, the president of Develop New Albany Inc., gave a report from DNA and outlined coming events. Exclusive New Albany, a fund raiser for DNA, will be held this year on Thursday, June 21st from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. at the home of Larry and Ann Ricke (917 E. Elm Street). Plans are to close 10th Street between Elm and Oak Streets for the booths featuring our local restaurants and merchants. A house tour will be available. Tickets can be purchased on Develop New Albany's website.

There was no report from the Mayor's office, however, the progress of Bicentennial Park was applauded by those in attendance. Discussion was held about the Mayor's "Live at 5" concerts and those in attendance thought Bicentennial Park would be an excellent location for this concert series. It was also suggested that a 6 p.m. start may be better attended than a 5 p.m. start. Use of the Riverfront Stage was also encouraged to attract larger events or concerts to our downtown area.

New business discussion centered around the following:

1) Changing the name  of our group meeting from Merchants Mixer to Downtown Business Owners Meeting.

2) Asking all downtown business owners to respond to the following question: In your opinion, what should our Downtown Business Owners group be doing to not only help you and your business, but collectively help all of our downtown businesses?

3) Consider splitting our group into subcommittees under the following business headings:

a. Food and beverage establishments
b. Retail shops and stores
c. Professional services and banks
d. Hospitality and museums

Each subcommittee would meet and discuss their issues, concerns and opportunities, and then each subcommittee would share with the entire group. The entire group could then be more informed and we could all work together to create a more vibrant and informed downtown.

4) Roger Baylor shared a book titled "The Walkable City" to get the group thinking on how to make our downtown easily accessible for traffic and parking, and attractive for people to walk and shop and enjoy being in our downtown area.

5) Gary Humphrey and Roger Baylor emphasized the need to slow traffic down on Spring Street and Main Street by possibly considering two-way traffic on Spring Street and placing stop signs in strategic locations along the streets to slow traffic down.

6) Roger Baylor brought up the idea for our group to consider a marketing campaign promoting our downtown as "Toll Free New Albany". Those in attendance liked this idea as tolls are likely to be added to all of the other bridges between Louisville and Southern Indiana.

Our next Downtown Business Owners meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 24th at 8:00 a.m. at the New Albanian Brewing Company's Bank Street Brewhouse on Bank Street. If you are a business owner in downtown New Albany you are encouraged to attend and lend us your voice. We all need to help each other.