By By ERIN VER BERKMOES / Niles Daily Star
NILES - The results of the Niles downtown market survey show improvements have helped bring visitors to the downtown, but much can still be done.
Thirty-five Niles area residents came to the Bell Building on Tuesday evening to hear the results of a market survey done by the Downtown Professionals Network, to find what can be done in downtown Niles to better attract new businesses, market and promote the area and develop more downtown housing.
During the month of April, members of the DDA-Main Street organization, conducted both phone and face to face intercept surveys and were able to collect information from 399 residents.
Schlinsog added that 36 percent of the survey respondents said they come to downtown Niles one to two times a week to run errands, whereas 42 percent of the respondents said they seldom or never come to the district to do any sort of shopping.
Another positive for the downtown Niles district is 44 percent of the respondents stated that the area was cleaner than other places in which they do their shopping. They also stated Niles is 43 percent more attractive than those other places and 38 percent more convenient.
On the negative side, 23 percent of the respondents stated the customer service they received in the Niles area is less than what they receive in other places they shop.
Bennett added that a certain amount of vacancies is a good thing because this allows new business to be recruited and the mix to become more diverse.
Through the survey, respondents stated the top candidates for business development in the downtown area were for food and drinking establishments, as well as general merchandise retail stores; book, and magazine stores; hobby and arts and crafts stores, garden boutiques, and antiques, and clothing and accessory stores.
Schlinsog added a key way to get the community of Niles noticed is to really think about the story of Niles and tell it to people.
Bennett added a way to enhance the already great work being done in Niles would be to evaluate the promotional calendar already in place, to support the existing events already held, and try and include new events and activities targeting specific audiences and finally pursue tourism and marketing opportunities.