by Mike Hahn, President/CEO
Downtown Community Partnership

As many of you know, the Downtown Community Partnership recently moved our offices into the Loretta Building at 210 Broadway, N.

We are proud of our new space because it reflects what we believe in, promoting the use of existing historic resources. The proprietor of our building, the Kilbourne Group, has done an excellent job in re-purposing this structure built from 1909 to 1912. The building is actually named after the daughter of one of Fargo’s early mayors, Peter Elliott.

Since being located on the “50 yard line” of downtown, we already have had hundreds of visitors who appreciate the craftsmanship that are inherent in historic buildings, like exposed brick, original wood floors, tin ceilings, natural lighting, etc.  However, on a few occasions, we have had a person or two commented, “Wouldn’t it have been cheaper to tear this down and build new?”

We challenge those comments with the following, based on data from Donovan D. Rypkema, Main Street Guru and author of the book, “The Economics of Historic Preservation”:

• Historic preservation is the best form of recycling.  Almost 24% of the USA’s total municipal solid waste is made up of demolished buildings.  The cost to demolish a typical two-story brick mercantile is equal to the entire environmental benefit of recycling 1,344,000 aluminum cans.
• When it comes to life expectancy, OLD is better than NEW. Materials in new construction are built to last for decades while the craftsmanship in historic buildings are built to last for centuries.
• Historic preservation creates higher paying jobs. Due to the craftsmanship involved in historic buildings, preservation requires specialized construction with skills that demand higher wages.

Yes, it takes a special developer–some even with deep pockets–to do historic rehabilitation   They must be knowledgeable in financing such projects using specialized incentives like federal tax credits and/or the North Dakota Renaissance Zone.  Also, they must be passionate about a vision that goes beyond the traditional ROI, knowing their investment reestablishes a sense of place.

In downtown Fargo, we are blessed with many of these visionary developers both small and large who are making significant investments back into our city core.

Downtown Mason City, Iowa circa 1980s. Courtesy of the Lee P. Loomis Archives, Mason City Public Library

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, my hometown of Mason City, Iowa lost a good portion of their sense of place.  Mason City, like many cities, tried rejuvenating their downtown through urban renewal by demolishing blocks and blocks of historic buildings. In place of these buildings, they constructed a suburban designed enclosed shopping mall complete with lots and lots of surface parking (of course, where historic buildings once stood).

Frank Lloyd Wright Park Inn Hotel, Mason City, Iowa circa 2010

The provided photo gives a dark contrast on what losing a historic sense of place is all about; this was the downtown I grew up with! Over 25 years later, the mall is struggling.  My hometown is making great strides in downtown revitalization, but it’s not centered on the shopping mall.  Ironically, they are rebuilding their sense of place around historic preservation. Specifically, the last remaining Frank Lloyd Wright designed hotel in the world, the Park Inn.

by Matt Hansen, Website and Social Media Intern
Downtown Community Partnership

It’s National Foot Health Awareness Month, which means it’s time for new shoes!

Timberland Pro Series shoes, available at White Banner Uniform in Downtown Fargo

To celebrate, I will be walking around Downtown Fargo in new shoes and blogging about my experiences.  The fine folks at White Banner Uniform in Downtown Fargo have graciously provided me with some top-notch Timberland shoes to try out.  Additionally, in the coming week, I will showcase White Banner Uniform, so you can learn how and where to purchase shoes like the ones pictured below right here in the community — supporting local business (and your feet!).

Since my interning duties often have me walking the busy sidewalks of Fargo, and with this inescapable winter weather, having shoes that are not only comfortable but provide the necessary traction are extremely important.  Many people rightly complain about finding shoes that are work-appropriate, yet actually comfortable for long hours standing or walking. The great thing about the Timberland shoes I’m wearing is that they fit the bill: comfortable and classy!

When buying Timberland shoes, there is a really great promotion called the 30-Day Comfort Guarantee   So if you’re not completely satisfied for the first month of wearing Timberland Pro Series Footwear, you can return them with no questions asked.  How many shoes companies do that? Pretty cool, if you ask me.

Make sure to check back soon for an update on the shoes and White Banner Uniform.

To learn more about the pictured shoes, click here.

by Matt Hansen, Website & Social Media Intern
Downtown Community Partnership

This weekend in Downtown Fargo starts early with several must-see events!

THURSDAY (April 11)

The Plains Art Museum hosts this month’s guided tour of the Warhol exhibit today at 5:30 p.m.  Stop by the museum for the approximately 1.5 hour, no-ticket-required tour.  If you haven’t seen the Warhol exhibit, this is a prime way to do so!

“God of Carnage” Opens Thursday at Theatre B

At 7:30 p.m., it’s Opening Night at Theatre B.  “God of Carnage” by Yasmina Reza will run weekends through May 11.  According to Theatre B, “Carnage” is a great, tension-filled story of family:

A playground altercation between eleven-year-old boys brings together two sets of parents for a meeting to resolve the matter.  At first, diplomatic niceties are observed, but as the meeting progresses, and the rum flows, tensions emerge and the gloves come off, leaving the couples with more than just their liberal principles in tatters.

For more info about how to purchase tickets, check out our website by clicking here.

Across the river, from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., it’s College Night at the Rourke — and a night of “frees”!  Free admission to the current exhibits, free pizza, free beer.  If you have your Student ID, and you’re looking for an awesome, culture-filled Thursday night (with free stuff!) then you do not want to miss this.  The Rourke Museum is located at 521 Main Ave. in Moorhead.  For more details: http://downtownfargo.com/events/article/college-night-at-the-rourke

“Gypsy” by the Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre Opens This Friday, April 12.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY (April 12-14)

ecce gallery opens its Raytrospective: Celebrating the Art of Timothy Ray from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.  The Fargo Forum’s John Lamb has a fantastic article (click here) covering the exhibit, including an interview with Mark Weiler, director of the gallery.  Ray’s work will run at ecce through May 5.

“Gypsy” by the Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre opens at 7:30 p.m.  Kris Kerzman, of ARTSPulse, has a great article with one of the lead actresses (click here).  For more details and ticket information on this “classical musical,” visit our website: http://downtownfargo.com/events/article/fargo-moorhead-community-theatre-presents-gypsy

As always, check out our website — www.downtownfargo.com/events — for a full listing of events!

Have an excellent weekend …downtown, baby!

by Matt Hansen, Social Media Intern
Downtown Community Partnership

We recently posed a question on our Facebook page: What is your favorite Downtown Fargo coffee shop?  With 50 comments, we can tell that people are passionate about their favorite coffee establishments.  Although Atomic Coffee garnered the most votes, there was still a very strong showing for Babb’s and Red Raven, among others.

Atomic Coffee in Downtown Fargo

Of course, there are numerous great coffee shops in Downtown Fargo, but clearly everyone has their favorite.  Here’s a short guide to some of the Downtown favorites.

Atomic Coffee, 222 Broadway N — Located in the heart of Downtown, right on Broadway where you’ll likely encounter a familiar face.  The space features plenty of tables and a private back room for meetings.  It’s a great place to go for meetings.

Babb’s Coffee House, 604 Main Ave — Right off Broadway, this large coffee house has a very unique, Seattle feel and a great downstairs event room.  High ceilings and a distinctly urban feel.

Moxie Java, 111 Broadway N — Smaller than their Downtown Moorhead location, but just as warm.  A unique place to grab coffee and a light lunch.

Nichole’s Fine Pastry, 13 South 8^th Street— One of the favorites of the SOMA (South of Main Avenue) district, Nichole’s has an excellent array of top notch desserts, alongside a superb lunch menu featuring various soups, sandwiches, and salads.

Red Raven Espresso Parlor, 916 Main Ave — “An alternative to consumer chaos” Red Raven’s all worker-operated appeal is hard to resist.  Located in an old firehouse, its feel is unlike any other Downtown coffee shop.

These are just a few of the many options available in the Downtown district.  For a complete listing, and more information about these featured shops, check out our website.

by Mike Hahn, President/CEO
Downtown Community Partnership 

A term often used to describe unique settings is sense of place.  Everyone has their own definition of this phrase.  My definition was forged early on while a child in my hometown of Mason City, Iowa.

Downtown Mason City, IA (Circa 1960)

I was raised in a modest family in a traditional Midwest 1920s type neighborhood (similar to the neighborhoods surrounding downtown Fargo-Moorhead).  My Mom never drove so we depended a lot on the bus system to get us around town a few days a week. I remember waiting anxiously with my Mom for the bus that would take us downtown.  At that young age, downtown was my gateway to the world.  Our weekly trips usually took us shopping to such places like Sam Raizes, Bergo’s or Damons.  We would grab lunch at Gretchen’s, Suzie Q or Tony’s Pizza.  If I was real good, I sometimes got awarded with a toy from Carter & Gillis, a comic book from Readmore or the latest 45 rpm (a short vinyl record) at Carlton Steward Music.  Often, my Mom dealt directly with the business owner.  Later, I found out that some of the employees who helped us actually owned a stake in the business or were rewarded for their customer service and sales ability with an occasional bonus.

At that tender age, my definition of sense of place was formulated.

It was a collection of locally owned businesses that were operated by entrepreneurs who were passionate about their product or service and cared about their customers.  It was also an environment consisting of turn-of-the-twentieth-century mercantile buildings that fostered social interaction at the street level that also contributed to the overall experience.  My hometown almost lost that sense of place, in which I will write about in a future blog.

Today, I feel blessed to live and work in an environment that has a strong sense of place.  From the historic architecture to the many locally owned businesses along Broadway, Roberts, Northern Pacific, Main Avenue, 8^th Street, University Drive and all points in between.  Yes, business models have changed over the decades and you may not find such a place like a locally owned downtown department store, but there are specialty businesses, diners, pubs, and many service businesses that sport the last names and even a few first names all over downtown.  These locally owned businesses reinforce the sense of place that is uniquely Fargo-Moorhead.

by Mike Hahn, President/CEO
Downtown Community Partnership

Recently, we were asked an interesting question on our website: What is the population of downtown Fargo?

The DCP defines downtown as the new established Business Improvement District (BID) which runs approximately from the Red River to University Drive, from the Sanford Health Campus to Island Park.  According to the 2010 Census, there are 3,452 people that live within this area.  This would make downtown Fargo, the 14^th largest city in North Dakota between Grafton and Beulah.  We believe this number is higher since the census was taken in 2010 with additional housing units built, under construction or being planned for downtown.

So this often leads to another question: Do we have enough of a population to support a downtown grocery store?  Industry standards for grocery stores that specialize in urban downtown designs have a population threshold of 5,000 who live within walking distance.  Of course, each grocery store company usees different metrics in measuring market need and in evaluating competitors located just outside of downtown.  Success in a downtown grocery store should grow with the continued residential population growth in downtown.

If you have a question about downtown, go to our contact section at http://www.downtownfargo.com/index.php/contact/