A State Park Runs Through It

High Bridge Trail State Park sign in downtown Farmville
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vadcr/7394255248/in/set-72157606893050811

The Designated Virginia Main Street community of Farmville has a unique asset that few other Main streets in Virginia, or probably the entire country, can claim.  Virginia’s newest state park, the linear 31-mile-long High Bridge Trail State Park, passes right through Farmville’s Main Street district. And the highlight of the trail, the 2,400-foot-long bridge that towers 125 feet over the Appomattox River, is an easy four and half mile bike ride from downtown Farmville. 

Historic High Bridge
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vadcr/7394257216/in/set-72157606893050811

At the June 25 official opening of High Bridge, Governor Bob McDonnell reminded the audience that, “Virginia’s State Parks provide localities with an economic engine for tourism and recreation.” That statement is already proving true only months after the unofficial April opening of High Bridge. Visits to the park have nearly doubled from 86,000 in all of 2011 to 82,000 through May of 2012 – and you can bet that with the amazing views from High Bridge, it is sure to be a popular destination for viewing fall foliage. 

 With new state park facilities, the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts and great shops and restaurants in downtown, Farmville is sure to be a busy place this summer. For an introduction to High Bridge Trail State Park, check out the great video tour recently produced by Daytime Blue Ridge.

Secrets to Good Store Layout

Source:
http://idowindows.wordpress.com/category/fashion-49/window-lessons/

No matter its size or product lines, every retail business must constantly work to create an attractive and inviting shopping environment. Here are a few tips from Entrepreneur.com to keep the customers coming.

1. Make the windows shine – “Just like your eyes are the windows of your soul, store windows are the eyes of the store. Each window should tell a story.”

2. Make an arresting first impression – An eye-catching display at the entrance will slow down customers and get them in the shopping mood.

3. Steer customers to the right – Shoppers tend to prefer to move right and walk counter-clockwise around the store. Make it easy and interesting for them to follow their natural shopping inclinations.

4. Lead them somewhere – Store layout should encourage customers to continue shopping. Eliminate aisles that lead to walls and other dead ends.

5. Have an angle – Create visual interest by placing aisles at angles (if space allows).

6. Create breaks – Shoppers get bored on long aisles – create visual breaks with signs or displays in the middle of long aisles.

7. Offer hugs – Use round and u-shapes on signs, displays and floor layouts. People find these shapes inviting.

One-on-one meetings with the retail consultants of the Virginia Small Business Development Center’s Small Town and Merchant Program can help retail and restaurant owners improve the layout of their businesses. To learn more about environmental influences on consumer behavior, check out Paco Underhill’s books Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping, Call of the Mall and What Women Want: The Science of Female Shopping.

Incentives

Economic Development incentives are a component of economic development policy to encourage growth in traditionally impoverished or underdeveloped areas in the United States.

Virginia offers a variety of performance-based incentives. From tax credits to tax exemptions, Virginia continues to demonstrate its willingness to invest in those who invest and reinvest in the commonwealth.

While economic development incentives have proven useful in many communities, there exists various unintended consequences of these programs; the most obstructive being their complexity.  For example, the financing structure of a real estate project utilizing tax credits can get very complex, and it is generally recommended that a knowledgeable consultant be retained to structure the deal.

Another challenge is identifying the various incentives available, their deadlines and how to apply.  There are many resources available that provide this information, but there is generally no central database as these programs are administered by various levels of government.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership, through its Ally Information Exchange, provides a list of existing economic development incentives. The Virginia Department of Taxation’s website provides a list of tax credits available to businesses and individuals in Virginia.

Both the federal and state tax historic preservation tax credit programs are administered in Virginia through the Department of Historic Resources. Information and assistance with tax-credit projects may be requested from DHR’s Richmond office. Contact Elizabeth Tune at (804) 367-2323, ext. 110 or Julie Langan at (804) 367-2323, ext. 155. Also, for more information about the federal tax-credit, visit their Technical Preservation Services website.

The Virginia Tourism Corporation provides several grants and funding sources.

North Carolina State University has created a national database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency.

Please contact us if you have any questions about a particular incentive or to share your experiences with working through any of these programs.

From Virginia to the World

Virginia exports are rebounding after significant declines in 2008 and 2009 during the recession, increasing by nearly 6 percent in 2011 to $18.1 billion, ranking it as the 25th-largest exporting state in the U.S.  More than 83 percent of the nearly 6,600 companies that are involved in international trade, both imports and exports, have fewer than 500 employees.

There are many good reasons to export: reduced dependence on the domestic market; diversified sources of revenue; extended sales potential and product shelf life of existing products; and stabilized seasonal markets and sales fluctuations, to name a few.  

“Given the specter of a jobless economic recovery and lagging consumer spending,” said Todd McCracken, president of NSBA, “exporting may be one of the few areas remaining where small businesses can grow right now.”

However, for smaller firms that don’t have many resources, the idea of sending goods overseas can be daunting. Exporting to foreign markets comes with an array of issues, such as completing mounds of paperwork and deciphering often-complicated customs rules.

“You have to understand all the nuances of exporting to other countries,” said Luz Hopewell, director of the Small Business Administration’s Office  of International Trade. “Sometimes if (a firm) doesn’t get the right license or doesn’t have the right paperwork, the product can be returned from the shipping docks.”

The Small Business Administration (SBA) provides resources for business owners who are evaluating exporting their products. These include the Export Business Planner  and U.S. Export Assistance Centers.  

Virginia has a deep history  of producing high-quality artisanal products including furniture, glass, musical instruments, jewelry, wines, grains and produce, among many others.

It is time to expand the export of these great products for the entire world to enjoy!