Developing Downtown Historic Centralia as a Booming Tourist Destination

  In our last post we shared that we have been collecting extensive data to support the developing trend of Centralia being promoted as great heritage tourist destination.  Here is some more information from the recent study published by the Shop America Alliance.   

The SAA focuses on implementing marketing strategies to bring shoppers to tourism related areas.  The SAA report indicates that most tourists are motivated to shop by a combination of the following factors:  

1. Unique ~ Tourists are looking for merchandise that can’t be found “back home,” merchandise that evokes a sense of place, is part of a special event or experience, or is simply something that they do not have access to elsewhere, i.e. artwork, books on a favorite topic of interest, jewelry, etc…
2. Value / Price ~ “A better deal than back home” is a very strong motivator for international visitors, especially when the exchange rate is in favor of the visitor.
3. Time to Shop ~ Visitors on vacation will buy items they can find back home, simply because they are in a more relaxed, stress-free vacation mode with time to indulge in recreational shopping.
4.  Planned Expenditure ~ Many tourists budget for souvenirs or allow for extra money to treat themselves while on vacation.
5. Shop with Family & Friends ~ A shopping entourage provides encouragement to buy, i.e., “Honey, that looks good on you.”
6. Extend the Experience ~ Tourists like to shop for mementos from the destination or event.
7. Obligation ~ Traveling offers a unique opportunity to find a gift or souvenir for a loved one left behind, or as a thank you gift for the baby sitter, pet sitter, etc…
8. Our #8 is one we added ourselves and was not included in the official research document.

#8 – FUN ~ Pure entertainment and fun of the shopping experience.  We think that tourists shop because it is FUN and entertaining.  Many tourists visit a location with the sole intention of shopping and enjoying the shopping experience as they travel. 

Just as important as understanding the primary behavioral motivators is removing the barriers to buying.  We will explore those barriers in our next post. 

We find it interesting that the #1 focus of tourist shoppers is the “unique” merchandise factor in shopping trends.  One of the feedback comments shared most often about historic downtown areas is the fact that they often comprise a distinguished collection of unique shops that offer “really neat stuff” they can’t seem to find at home.   This collection of unique retail shops is what helps to create the character and charm of a historic city center area.  So much of the personality of a downtown area is determined by the mix of businesses that make up the central downtown district.  The retail venue is ever changing as new merchandise is always rotating through the retail pipeline. 

Building a quality base of retail merchants can prove the major drawing card for visitors both local and out of towners. The new Centralia Downtown Association is focused on attracting new businesses to fill the empty first floor retail space in the historic downtown.  Careful consideration is being given to create a list of businesses that the CDA membership sees as valuable additions to the historic downtown.  The National Historic Trust Main Street Program approach has wonderful resources for ideas on how to create a synergistic business climate downtown with a balance of businesses that create harmony between locals and tourists alike.  The Main Street focus is to create a downtown that is a destination that people will travel to – whether it be 1 mile or 1001 miles.  Downtown Centralia is well on the way to becoming that bright Shinning Shopping Star ½ way between Seattle and Portland!