Considering the jittery confidence of consumers, few would be surprised to hear of businesses struggling and calling it quits, especially in Superior's downtown, an area long considered on the decline.
But would you believe just the opposite seems to be true for 80 blocks of Belknap Street and Tower Avenue? More than 80 percent of business operators there indicated in a survey things were going so well they had no plans to relocate or move out. Nearly a third even stated plans to expand, whether with new products, more service or bigger stores.
Granted, the snapshot of opinions was gathered in June, and the economy has worsened since then. But the results can't be seen as anything but encouraging -- and not only for members of the Superior Business Improvement District and their supporters but for the Twin Ports as a whole.
Results of the survey -- the furthest along of business-district analyses being done in cities around Wisconsin by the University of Wisconsin Extension Community -- were made public at a breakfast meeting this month.
"We wanted to know what consumers and businesses are thinking. We thought we knew," Kaye Tenerelli, executive director of the Superior Business Improvement District, said at the meeting. "We had some surprises."
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Business operators indicated a "high level of satisfaction" with the district. They liked having the public library within their borders and rated police and fire protection "good" or "excellent."
Things could be better, of course. Any business area has its share of challenges. New businesses are needed to complement what's already there, proprietors said. That could include another restaurant, an apparel store, a coffee shop, and maybe even a hobby store.
Shoppers in the district said the area could benefit from an overall good cleaning. They complained of the abundance of bars and empty lots and said they sometimes felt unsafe at night. But the nearby waterfront is an underutilized resource, shoppers said. Its development could offer a new identity with new apartments, condos and townhouses to follow.
A chapter is still being written, but the Downtown Superior Market Analysis already features 135 pages of opportunities and good ideas to improve Superior's downtown core. The area is bucking the current economy with four new businesses opening since Jan. 1.
And the area is filled with dedicated, committed and loyal business owners. That's a good foundation. Building on it can happen if the survey and its resulting analysis aren't ignored in cyberspace or allowed to sit on a shelf and collect dust.
The Downtown Superior Market Analysis is on the Web at:
