BUSINESS HEALTH SURVEY
Every two years, Downtown Kalamazoo Inc. conducts a comprehensive Business Health Survey to identify what is going well and what needs improvement.
As we conducted the survey in 2010, the economy was continuing its ebb and flow, with mixed news from housing, stock market and retail sales statistics. At that time, 80% of retail businesses indicated that sales had remained steady or increased over the prior two years. Entertainment & Restaurant venues felt the pinch a little earlier, as only 68% reported steady or increased sales, and the office businesses reported 64%.
Top concerns were different for each type of business, depending their primary hours of business and their needs. Entertainment/Restaurant businesses and Retailers where much more likely to be concerned about parking, construction projects and events than office-based businesses, and daytime businesses had fewer complaints about cleanliness and safety.
All of these concerns are used to help establish priorities for our budgets and workplans.