It is common knowledge that the shopping habits of Americans have changed dramatically in my lifetime, particularly that of small town residents. Gone are the days when I walked into the locally-owned grocery store by myself as a child in my home town of 1,300, and everyone called me by name. The five-and-dime where I bought cinnamon balls, Bazooka bubble gum and comic books is a thing of the past. No more soda counters. What happened?
The biggest megatrend to hit rural America was big box stores, such as K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, etc. The concentration of buying power enabled them to cut prices and undersell locally-owned stores who could not compete. Good for the consumer in terms of prices and increased selection, bad for small town retail businesses. Even newspapers suffered, as these stores usually had their own distribution system of flyers, often bypassing print media. Hundreds of small town newspapers have closed or dramatically decreased their frequency of publication over the last several decades. Around 7% of America’s counties now have no local news outlet and around 20% are at risk of their communities becoming news deserts in the foreseeable future.
Also, since President Eisenhower signed the Interstate Highway Act of 1956, federal and state roads have continued to improve incrementally. Do you remember how bad 69 Highway was between Overland Park and Fort Scott? With the vast improvements of 69 Highway North and South and 54 Highway East and West, small town shoppers have no problem driving an hour or so for more shopping choices. As evidence, our “Pull Factor” (the percentage of every dollar a Bourbon County resident spends of their income locally, plus tourists and passerbys) has dipped to 70% in recent years.
The last great megatrend might be the most impactful for local businesses: The Internet. It is way too easy to click on a web site and buy what you need without leaving your couch. One would expect this trend to continue. We are even getting our entertainment via online streaming services now. How does a local business compete?
When a population is shrinking, such as it is in every county in Southeast Kansas, it is easy to understand that a business that sells exclusively to the local population will have less sales down the road. The only small town businesses that have a chance to grow are those who sell primarily to out-of-town clients, such as the two window manufacturers we have in Bourbon County. The other winning strategy is selling to the increased traffic count on 69 Highway and visitors.
The board and staff at Bourbon County REDI understands these megatrends and are engaging strategies that will help stem the tide and play to our strengths, which are many in our neck of the woods. We believe in Bourbon County and its future; that is why we live here. We encourage you to shop locally and support tourism by welcoming those from out of town. It is the least we can do to move us forward together.