Action Idea #1 Continued: Share the Good News

So I was analyzing my Blogger stats the other day (I’m kind of an info geek like that) and I noticed that the post which has received the most reads in this little baby blog is “Action Idea #1: Support Local Independent Business”.  I’m assuming this means one of three things:

 1) You all really love the idea of local independent business (yay!)

2) You’re a fan of action and love it when people “do something” or at least suggest doing something

 Or

 3) You’re a fan of Alex, my tech support hero of the evening who was tagged in the Facebook post (which makes sense, because he’s pretty fabulous).

Or perhaps it’s none of the above and that post just happened to go live at the exact right moment when you were all attentively reading your Facebook feeds.

Whatever the actual reason for reading the blog is, I’m going to assume for the moment that you all are at least somewhat interested in local independent business.  And thus, the idea for this blog post, which begins with a question: just how do we support local independent business?  

The short answer: shop there, or perhaps to put it more broadly, purchase their goods and services.

Now, perhaps you already do this.  Maybe you’re an avid supporter of The 3/50 Project  or you have a more personal approach to patronizing your favorite local businesses.  Excellent.  Now, how do we get more people to join you? Well, first things first, we get people to know that these places exist.  Now, how do we do that?  I’m going to suggest two approaches: one that comes pretty naturally and the other perhaps not as much.

1. Word of Mouth: When talking with friends or particularly people who are new to the area, resist the urge to lament about the current state of the local business community.  Focus on the positive. Make a point to share the good news when you find a great salon, bookstore, bed and breakfast, boutique, restaurant, gift shop and so on.

2. Online Reviews: Think about it, if you're unfamiliar with a town, where do you go to find out about local businesses and attractions?  Chances are the internet is at least a part of the equation, whether you access it on your phone or via a computer. Do you ever review local businesses on the internet?  If not, I encourage you to visit websites like Trip Advisor, Urban Spoon, or Yahoo/Google Reviews and CONTRIBUTE! Upload pictures and share your insights about your favorite Hibbing businesses.

Now what good is this going to do?  Well, the hope is actions like this will contribute to building a critical mass of people who actively choose to spend their time and money in Hibbing.  Businesses will flourish and contribute to the tax base of the community as well as other civic projects.  This sustained success will encourage other entrepreneurs to take a chance on Hibbing.  Empty store fronts will fill.  There will be a renewed sense of hope and community pride.

A little idealistic and naïve?  Perhaps.  It is an idea that I believe can work though, if enough of us contribute.  What do you think?

Sometimes We Forget

I was in a bookstore in Rochester, MN the other day, trying to decide between buying either an issue of The Atlantic (advertised as “the idea issue”) or Minnesota Monthly (that caught my attention with a cover headline of “10 small town weekend trips”). Both options seemed equally intriguing. 

I opened up Minnesota Monthly to see what “small towns” they were talking about, saw this, and the debate was over.  

Go Hibbing!

If you’ve lived in town for years these are these are the type of places that you can forget, or perhaps I should say “take for granted.”  They are institutions that are so central to the idea of who we are as community sometimes they fade into the background.  The Hull Rust Mahoning Mine becomes that pit north of town, or HibTac: where “so and so” works, or just “the mine.”  The High School is just where you (or your parents or your kids) went to school, and the planetarium is an elementary school field trip. 

However, there is a lot to discover and love about our town if for a day or two we shake off the ordinary and look at Hibbing with the eyes of a tourist. 

For example, did you know that The Mitchell-Tappan House was the first house moved to South Hibbing in 1918 (in addition to serving AMAZING breakfasts in 2011)?  And when was the last time you were at the planetarium?  A field trip in elementary school?  I’m happy I can say I did have the experience of going to a laser light show there one January a couple of years ago.  Quite different from my field trip experience as a kid, this was a pretty funky light display set to the music of U2.  Popcorn and the show were under $5.  It was a great evening. 

The only downside was that my sister and I were the only ones there (which I think has at least a little to do with the fact the planetarium is now only open by reservation). 

See.  We forget.  We get into our day-to-day routines.  We stop paying attention and at that point it can become easy to believe the myth that there is “nothing to do here.” And once we believe that, it becomes routine for us to leave town looking for “things to do”.  Hibbingites regularly travel to Virginia, Grand Rapids, Duluth, the Twin Cities and miss what is right in their own backyard. 

Now, I’m not saying don’t leave the city limits or that traveling to the aforementioned places isn’t fun or sometimes necessary, but I am saying “give Hibbing a chance.”  You might be surprised. Seriously, I challenge you.  Whether you’re a current Hibbing resident or an ex-pat who will be home visiting family, spend a day (or two) looking at Hibbing with new eyes. 

If you take the challenge, I would love to hear about your experience (please comment below). I will share my own after my next visit to Hib-town, which is scheduled for sometime this fall.

Here’s the list from the MM article:

Hull Rust Mahoning Mine

Greyhound Bus Museum

Hibbing High School

Mitchell-Tappan House

Paulucci Space Theater

Hibbing Public Library

Sunrise Bakery at The Lybba

Bob Dylan’s Childhood Home

Any favorites?  Anything you think they missed?  Share! Also, if you’re looking for special programs and events in Hibbing, I recommend checking out the community calendar at http://oreandmore.blogspot.com/.