A Jefferson Retail & Artisans Mall?
Paxton pushes for quick reinvention on town square
Jefferson
In a little more than two weeks Jefferson’s Ben Franklin will exhaust its going-out-of-business sales, leaving that space to join the former Hy-Vee Drug as unfilled.
Greene County Development Corporation officials, from executive director Ken Paxton to board president Sid Jones, are aggressively seeking new business opportunities for those highly visible locations on the west side of the town square.
“Whenever we have space the size we have, we should be looking at every creative opportunity,” Jones said.
One of the more ambitious ideas to emerge is Paxton’s vision for a retail, artisans and small-services cooperative mall — a concept that’s been successful in a number of other American cities, large and small.
“The more I think about this, the more I get excited about it,” Paxton said.
The cooperative could house dozens of businesses, people who travel for craft shows or have home businesses or hail from nearby cities and are looking to expand existing commericial enterprises into Jefferson with a low-cost and easy entry strategy. Space could be allocated by consignment, lease or sale in downtown Jefferson — in the Ben Franklin or Hy-Vee Drug building or both.
The development of an umbrella non-profit association could be involved, Paxton and Jones said.
“It just needs further research,” Jones said, adding that the idea is clearly “worth pursuing.”
Examples of businesses that could be located there include: hobbies, crafts and arts; products built at home; items currently sold on the Internet; antiques and collectibles; unique gift ideas; reselling of products that are purchased; items unique to Greene County or Iowa; and historic and souvenir products.
“This is currently in the concept stage, but we need to see how many people would be interested in selling their products in the mall,” Paxton said.
A tentative name for the cooperative: The Jefferson Retailers and Artisans Mall.
Those interested in being involved in the mall or wishing more information can contact Paxton at (515) 386-8255 or at ken@greenecountyiowa.com
“I want a regional retail draw,” Paxton said.