Results Of Downtown Laramie Retail Survey To Be Revealed In Public Meeting

Key findings from a survey on the retail environment in downtown Laramie will be revealed at a public meeting on Thursday, October 30. The meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. in the Laramie City Council Chambers at Fourth and Ivinson.

Community Builders, Inc., or CBI, is a community and economic development consulting firm based in Douglas, which was retained to give Laramie Main Street a better understanding of the current retail, restaurant, and service environment in downtown Laramie while identifying market opportunities and underutilized space.  A separate piece of the analysis included a targeted survey of shoppers to evaluate consumer preferences, buying patterns, and general attitudes about shopping in downtown Laramie.

CBI consultants Bobbe Fitzhugh and Megan Parker will present the draft Retail Market Analysis and Consumer Intercept Survey of downtown Laramie to the Laramie Main Street Alliance and other stakeholders at the meeting.

According to Fitzhugh, "there are approximately 252 distinct business entities located in downtown Laramie and 29% of those are retail businesses with another 11% dedicated to restaurants and "drinking places."  It is estimated that a total of 465 full-time employees work in downtown with another 313 part-time employees."  She added, "Public art and murals, walkability of the area, the historic character and sense of safety were listed strengths.  These are healthy indicators of the vibrancy that is downtown Laramie!"

On the other side of the coin, parking and the threat of Internet sales topped the list of major challenges facing downtown Laramie.  Consumers listed the higher cost and lower selection of merchandise and services and limited shopping hours to the "room for improvement" list.

All interested parties are invited to attend the presentation.