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How people view city's downtown is revealed

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By TODD HELBERG

cnedit@crescent-news.com

A downtown market survey recently completed by the Defiance Development and Visitors Bureau will help the organization seek "Main Street" status for Defiance, but also revealed how consumers see downtown shopping.

A Main Street application will be made to Downtown Ohio, Inc./Heritage Ohio later this year. The designation would allow DDVB to qualify for technical assistance and other help from Downtown Ohio in its quest to improve the city's central business district.

During its meeting tonight at 7:30, Defiance City Council will consider an ordinance accepting the market analysis and authorizing officials to assist DDVB in applications for Main Street designation and a community development block grant (CDBG) for downtown revitalization. The latter grant totals $400,000 and, if approved by the Ohio Department of Development, would provide downtown building owners with funds to make improvements.

Former Defiance Mayor Rita Kissner, a DDVB employee, said the market analysis was required to qualify for the CDBG funding. But, she said, the market analysis "really helped us evaluate the kinds of things we need to do."

Such as?

Marketing the downtown is one issue the DDVB would like to promote. Kissner and DDVB director Cindy Mack acknowledge that the city's north side is where most people shop, but say this area should be used as a "feeder" for downtown, instead of being viewed as competition.

"We decided to work on a premise that counties around us are feeders to Defiance," said Kissner. "But the real feeder is from the north side because so many people are visiting there. That's our best way to draw people downtown."

All totaled, DDVB sent out 6,000 surveys through Defiance City Schools, The Crescent-News and Defiance Area Chamber of Commerce. Most were sent as inserts in this newspaper.

According Kissner, 735 persons responded.

"Anything over 10 percent is good," said Kissner. "We're very pleased, especially with the returns from the high school and the newspaper."

She believes the survey covered a "wide range of respondents" because 48 percent of them said they only "rarely" or "occasionally" shop in downtown Defiance.

Key highlights from respondents summarized by DDVB include:

-- Thirty percent shop downtown once or twice a week.

-- In the last month the majority of respondents visited the downtown banks, restaurants and the coffee shop.

-- Gas stations and car washes were visited by over half of respondents.

-- The video store was visited by 39 percent of respondents.

-- The majority of retail visits were to the bakery and antique shop.

-- Forty-four percent of respondents were in the downtown for professional services (financial, insurance, attorney and dentist).

-- When asked to rate their shopping experience in downtown Defiance, respondents rated the selection of goods between good and fair (68 percent) and selection of services as good to fair (72 percent).

-- Selection of restaurants was rated fair by 37 percent of respondents while 26 percent rated them good and 30 percent rated them poor.

-- Respondents gave the lowest ratings to entertainment opportunities with 63 percent rating them poor and 24 percent rating them fair.

-- Prices and store hours were generally rated good to fair while store cleanliness rated the highest of all categories.

-- Available parking was cited as a concern by 69 percent of respondents.

-- Personal safety was rated as excellent to good by 78 percent of respondents.

-- When asked what they liked most about shopping in downtown Defiance, consumers cited convenience as the top draw along with the atmosphere and the desire to support local merchants.

-- When asked about improvements to the downtown, consumers cited the need for a wider variety of retail selections and improved parking.

-- Most desired new businesses were restaurants (36 percent), gift shops (25 percent), clothing stores (19 percent) and entertainment (11 percent).

Mack said the results were about what DDVB expected.

"We're happy with it because we weren't stunned or shocked by what we found out," she said.

Respondents ranged in ages from less than 18 to over 75 with 35 percent in the 35-54 group. The majority (54 percent) earned between $25,000-$75,000 per year.