Prior to about four years ago when I began working at Old Town Cape, I had never really shopped downtown Cape or any downtown area for that matter. When I needed to buy something I visited a big box store to find what I needed. However, once I began working downtown, I quickly discovered all of the hidden treasures that I had been missing…not only that, but the service you receive at a small business and the friendships you form are priceless.
After becoming a downtown junkie, I even started to incorporate visits to other downtown areas when planning trips, but it didn’t take too long to realize that something was missing. There were no guides or signage to inform me of the small businesses that each area was home to. Therefore, I had to spend more of my time roaming around looking for businesses and less time actually visiting them. For someone like me who loves shopping, this was a problem.
After returning back to Cape from a trip to a small town in Virginia, I decided that downtown Cape had the same need as other downtown areas because it too had no way for visitors to know what it had to offer. Granted the area does have “wayfinding” signage making it easier to find downtown, but there was no guide available once visitors arrived – or should I say there wasn’t.
After about a year’s worth of establishing guidelines on what information to include for visitors, gathering information on the businesses and attractions, and laying out the design, Old Town Cape launched their Downtown Guide in the summer of 2014. It is a full-color guide, complete with a comprehensive listing of shops, restaurants, personal services, arts and entertainment and more in downtown Cape. If you haven’t checked it out, I encourage you to stop by Old Town Cape, the Cape Girardeau Convention & Visitors Bureau, Isle Casino Cape Girardeau or most of the downtown retailers to see one for yourself – you won’t be disappointed!
Although I no longer work at Old Town Cape, I do still work downtown and enjoy seeing people from all over stroll the area. Now, thanks to the help of many partners, they are able to use the guide to find the small business that carries just what they are looking for.
This post is written by guest blogger, Nicholle Hinkle, Director of Donor Relations at United Way of Southeast Missouri.