Northfield Downtown Development Corporation

…to get your sweetie something for Valentine’s Day. I know that some people think that it’s just a big scam created by Hallmark to sell more cards but personally I find the last two weeks of January and the first two weeks of February to often be times that challenge the spirits of even the hardiest folks. Therefore, I say, if life gives you a chance for celebration or romance, grab it with gusto.

Fortunately for the time- and/or idea-challenged, love is in the air, or at least the windows, of Downtown Northfield. The stores are open late on Thursday night and then again on Saturday, so you’ve got a little time yet and the retailers have plenty of possibilities. Those mentioned below are just a few that I noticed on a quick stroll down Division Street.

Swag has some cozy looking blankets, perfect for snuggling up to watch a movie, and Oolala has Love Letter Bath Salts for another way to warm up a cold night. Monkey See, Monkey Read has “The Hedonism Handbook” for some sensory stimulation on a special evening and Bookfellows has “Arthur’s Valentine” as a gift for that younger dear one. Fashion Fair has some really nice red ties for him, including a marlin fishing one that caught my eye, Present Perfect has a “How to Keep Your Husband” apron for the wife with a really good sense of humor, and Ragstock has a bright red boa for those truly theatrical lovers. digs has a flower shaped holder with pink candles that will lively up any horizontal surface and the Arts Guild shop has hand-thrown bowls that give a common offering a touch of casual elegance.

Then there are the old standbys. The bakery has some sweet treats, as always, and the Cocoa Bean has a wide variety of candy, for that classic Valentine’s gift. Of course, I believe that it was Will Rogers who said “candy is dandy but liquor is quicker” and the Northfield Liquor Store has a nice selection of fine wines to go with that exquisite dining experience that you’re planning to serve up to your sweetheart.

Finally, if you really let it slide to the very last minute, there’s two dozen restaurants in Downtown Northfield, where you can go out for the big night. Just check our Downtown Directory for a listing of options.

So, after reading this blog entry, you’ve got no excuses. Come on down(town) and make the 14th a bright light in dreary February.

After moving the location less than 24 hours before the event and then experiencing an unexpected snowstorm, we were a little worried about the turn-out at this morning’s Forum. We shouldn’t have underestimated the enthusiasm and energy that so many of the community members have for Northfield’s businesses.

Over 80 people showed up for the Chamber-NDDC Forum on retail strategies at the Grand Event Center. Even more impressive was how hard they worked.

The session began with a presentation by Randy Jennings of Neuger Communications. He shared the work that he’s been doing for the City on the wayfinding signage project. It’s one of the many initiatives already under way to help strengthen retail sales in Northfield.

The crowd then broke into small work groups to discuss the five topics identified before the session and to raise up and write down their ideas. Their intensity and focus were truly impressive and many of them might still be working now if we hadn’t gathered up their work.

Keith Covey, an NDDC Board Member, is already working on the assembly of the ideas into a distributable format. We’ll e-mail it to those present this morning and post it on our website. The Chamber will also be sending it out to their members.

These ideas will also inform the work of the Task Force that is part of the work plan for the EDA, along with the reports, studies and data that have been prepared in the past few years. We should start with the local experts, not reinvent the wheel, and then see if there are any “gaps” in our information. Recommendations on refining our retail support strategies will be steadily offered over the next three or four months and we will be implementing many of the ideas before mid-year.

Thanks again to the Chamber of Commerce, the EDA, the Grand Event Center, the NDDC Board and, especially, all those hardy Minnesotans that showed up and offered their constructive contributions this morning. Together, we will accomplish great things.

Due to the anticipated size of the turn-out for tomorrow’s Forum, the NDDC and the Chamber have graciously accepted the offer of Chuck Pryor to move the event to The Grand. For anyone not familiar with downtown, the Grand Event Center is two blocks south and one block east of the Archer House at 316 Washington Street, or the corner of 4th and Washington Streets. The time remains 8 am, Tuesday, February 6th.

Downtown Northfield is fortunate to not only have such historic buildings as the 1877 Archer House and the 1899 Grand (originally the Ware Auditorium) but to have such great building owners as Brett Reese (the Archer House) and Chuck Pryor (the Grand). Thanks guys, it’s your efforts, investments and generosity that help make Downtown Northfield a great place.

In preparation for tomorrow’s downtown forum, Ross asked me to create a printable PDF of the discussion thread (47 pages) that’s been occurring on Locally Grown ever since last month’s NDDC downtown forum.

The blog post is titled Downtown Retail: struggling, thriving, searching and it has 112 comments attached to it as of this morning.

In today’s Strib (February 5th), there’s an article about St. Anthony Park’s efforts to protect their citizens from speeders. After a couple of recent accidents involving crossing pedestrians and speeding cars, these efforts have taken on a new urgency.

St. Anthony Park is not alone. According to TrafficCalming.org, cities in 38 of the 50 states have adopted traffic-calming measures.

The NDDC has long been concerned about protecting pedestrians from speeding motorists. Both our efforts on the “John North Boulevard” segment of Highway 3 and the intersection of Division and 7th Streets are motivated by our recognition of pedestrian safety as a key to community vitality.

Perhaps the increased interest both the nation and the state will be inspiring to our local officials. Could 2007 finally be the year of pedestrian safety for Northfield?