(L-R Eric Henry, Angie Lovelace, Michal Shuman)
Michael Shuman is an economist and an author. But more than that, he is a champion of vibrant towns. One of his major projects is the BALLE organization. “The Business Alliance for Local Living Economies builds Local Living Economies in North America that foster vibrant communities, a healthy natural environment, and prosperity for all. We do this by catalyzing, strengthening, and connecting networks of locally-owned, independent businesses; providing education and community economic development tools; and developing and promoting public policies that enable Local Living Economies to thrive.”
While in North Carolina, Shuman is taking time out of his busy schedule for an afternoon tour of Alamance County and the exciting revitalization efforts that are bringing renewed vigor to our community. Here 
in Alamance, we know what it means to have a vibrant community and we have experienced what it feels like to loose that vitality, when the globalization of the textile industry lead to large scale industry and job loss in our community.
We have the opportunity to reinvent ourselves. A number of business leaders in our community are already doing so. One of the stops on Shuman’s tour is T.S. Designs, a local t-shirt company that nearly went out of business when cheap shirts from Asia and South America flooded the US market. Instead of giving up, the company reinvented itself as a leader in environmentally and socially responsible t-shirt printing. Their new motto: Printing T-shirts For Good.
Another stop on Shuman’s tour of Alamance County is the tiny town of Saxapahaw. The Jordan family had the vision to turn an old mill in a defunct semi-rural town into riverfront condos. By hosting a weekly free concert and farmers market throughout the summer months with family friendly activities, Jordan and his capable staff have made the little town of Saxapahaw a happening place that draws hundreds of people every week. The tiny town’s fame has spread with the arrival of Jeff Barney and Cameron Ratliff. Their gourmet “5 Star Gas Station” is drawing foodies in from all over the Triad and Triangle areas.
The stop I’m most excited about is Shuman’s tour of Downtown Burlington and Company Shops Market. I had the chance to meet Michael Shuman along with CSM Board President Sharon Dent; Executive Director of the Burlington Downtown Corporation, Anne K Morris; Downtown Business Owner, Tara Jones-LeGros of J&L Bicycles and her store manager J.T. Sharpe; and the Company Shops Market Marketing team, Nate Perry and Sarah Cook (me).
(L-R: Tara Jones-LeGros and J.T. Sharpe of J&L Bicycle are introduced to Michael Shuman by Eric Henry and Sharon Dent)
Tara Jones-LeGros asked Shuman what he considered to be important factors in successful efforts to revitalize small towns. He indicated the need to have active support from local business owners. He suggested collaborative meetings between business owners and interested community members to work together and support each other. He also mention that getting the area youth involved can bring fresh perspective and ideas that can lead to powerful positive change. In addition he advocated having a dedicated staff member, someone who wakes up every day and says “how can I made our community better today”.
(Clockwise from Left: Sarah Cook, Tara Jones-LeGros, J.T. Sharpe, Michael Shuman, and Sharon Dent discuss strategies for building thriving communities.)
So I’m interested to hear from you. What are your ideas? How can we work together to create a vibrant and thriving Downtown Burlington? What sorts of businesses would you like to have that are not available right now? What kind of public spaces would you appreciate?
Sarah Cook
Co-Manager of Comm. and Brand Mgmt
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