Previously published as Let's Talk Business

• Employment in Small City Downtowns (October 2011, No. 174)
• Retail and Service Business Mix in Wisconsin’s Downtowns (April 2011, No. 173)
• Creating Third Places- Places Where Communities Gather (December 2010, No. 172)
• Creating a Local Food and Culinary Tourism Niche in Your Downtown (November 2010, No. 171)
• “Soul of the Community” and the Economic Vitality of Downtowns (October 2010, No. 170)
• Importance of Buying Local (September 2010, No. 169)
• “Buy Local” Campaigns and Economic Research (August 2010, No. 168)
• Evaluating Your “Buy Local” Program (July 2010, No. 167)
• “Buy Local” Campaigns - Getting Started (June 2010, No. 166)
• Economic Development Tools for Commercial Districts (May 2010, No. 165)
• Bringing Green Buildings Downtown (April 2010, No. 164)
• Backdoor Retailing, Alternatives to Traditional Storefront Sales (March 2010, No. 163)
• Public Markets, Street Vendors and Downtowns (February 2010, No. 162)
• Revitalizing Downtown Retail Finding the Right Tenants in a Changing Market (January 2010, No. 161)
• Promoting Downtown Living to Retirees (December 2009, No. 160)
• The Future of Downtown Retail Part II – Changes on the Horizon (November 2009, No. 159)
• The Future of Downtown Retail Part I – Analysis of Past Trends (October 2009, No. 158)
• Low Cost, High Impact Building Improvements Downtown (September 2009, No. 157)
• The Wal-Mart Effect (August 2009, No. 156)
• Preparing for Economic Recovery (July 2009, No. 155)
• Branding for Downtown Success (June 2009, No. 154)
• Supporting Entrepreneurship Downtown (May 2009, No. 153)
• Why Downtowns will Shine after the Economic Storm (April 2009, No. 152)
• Convenience as a Downtown Niche During Tough Economic Times (March 2009, No. 151)
• Lessons and Strategies of a Recession - Consumer Choices (February 2009, No.150)
• Ten Things Your Organization Can Do During Difficult Economic Times (January 2009, No.149)
• Helping Downtown Businesses During Difficult Economic Times (December 2008, No. 148)
• Consumer Behavior During Difficult Economic Times (November 2008, No. 147)
• Identifying Businesses in Trouble During Difficult Economic Times (October 2008, No. 146)
• Key Businesses in Vibrant Tourism Towns (September 2008, No. 145)
• Revisiting the General Store Concept (August 2008, No. 144)
• Downtowns in Small Communities that Celebrate Ethnic Heritage ( July 2008, No. 143)
• Restaurant Failures (June 2008, No. 142)
• Role of Cooperatives in Community Economic Development (May 2008, No. 141)
• Capturing Sales from Recreational Homeowners (April 2008, No. 140)
• Year-Round Marketing in Tourism Communities (March 2008, No. 139)
• The Downtown Coffee House Business (February 2008, No. 138)
• Ten Global Trends Affecting Downtowns (January 2008, No. 137)
• Ten Realistic Retail Themes for a Vibrant Downtown (December 2007, No. 136)
• Creating a Vibrant (and Realistic) Retail Mix (November 2007, No. 135)
• Green Downtowns (October 2007, No. 134)
• Valuing Downtown Employees (September 2007, No. 133)
• The Local Costs and Benefits of WalMart (August 2007, No. 132)
• Retire Downtown; A Market Emerges for Active Living Downtown (July 2007, No. 131)
• Developing Effective Business Recruitment Materials (June 2007, No. 130)
• Starting a Cultural Heritage Tourism Program (May 2007, No. 129)
• Downtown Revitalization and Enhancing Sense of Place (April 2007, No. 128)
• Innovative Downtown Businesses (March 2007, No. 127)
• The Importance of Culture and Heritage in Downtown Economics (February 2007, No. 126)
• Serving Downtown Office Workers (January 2007, No. 125)
• Rural Downtown Development: Guiding Principles for Small Cities (December 2006, No. 124)
• Green Consumers: A Growing Market for Many Local Businesses (November 2006, No. 123)
• Family Amusements as a Catalyst for Downtown Revitalization (October 2006, No. 122)
• How Local Businesses Can Serve Trail Users  (September 2006, No 121)

• Wal-Mart Unveils Community Store Design Strategy  (August 2006, No. 120)

• Seven Components of a Successful Business Incubator (July 2006, No 119)
• Downtown Redevelopment Efforts in Selected Midwest Cities (June 2006, No 118)
• Urban Tourism: What Attracts Visitors to Cities? (May 2006, No 117)
• What Drives Consumer Behavior (April 2006, No 116)
• E-Commerce: Opportunities for Small Retailers (March 2006, No 115)
• Challenges Ahead for Small Independent Retailers (February 2006, No 114)
• Trends Facing Small Independent Retailers (January 2006, No 113)
• Characteristics of Successful Downtowns (December 2005, No 112)
• The Importance of Government Facilities in Downtowns (November 2005, No 111)
• Missing article (October 2005, No 110)
• Reclaiming the Waterfront (September 2005, No 109)
• Ways Communities Can Revive Local Independent Businesses (August 2005, No 108)
• Why Independent Businesses Are Important (July 2005, No 107)
• Developing a Downtown Strategic Plan (June 2005, No 106)
• Smart Downtown Parking: Core Principles to Support Downtown Development (May 2005, No 105)
• Retail Demand and Supply Analysis: New Software to Identify Market Opportunities (April 2005, No 104)
• Keeping the Movies Downtown (March 2005, No 103)
• Coexisting with Big Box Retailers: Success Strategies for Independent Retailers (February 2005, No 102)
• So You've Survived Road Construction - Now What? (January 2005, No 101)
• Community-Owned Stores Provide Alternative to Chains (December 2004, No 100)
• Wal-mart's Growth and Vulnerable Retail Sectors (November 2004, No 99)
• Economic Restructuring Activities in Downtown Revitalization (October 2004, No 98)
• Niche Development in Small City Downtowns (September 2004, No 97)
• Seven Keys to Main Street Success (August 2004, No 96)
• Can Downtowns Survive? (July 2004, No 95)
• Downtown and the Youth Market (June 2004, No 94)
• Serving Ethnic Markets (May 2004, No 93)
• Rules for Successful Tourism Marketing (April 2004, No 92)
• Lifestyle Retail Centers (March 2004, No 91)
• Downtown Housing Opportunities (February 2004, No 90)
• Downtown's Role in the New Economy (January 2004, No 89)
• Ten Steps to a Living Downtown (December 2003, No 88)
• Making Downtown a Place to Live, Work, and Play (November 2003, No 87)
• Business Trends Across Northern Wisconsin (October 2003, No 86)
• Lodging Industry Trends (September 2003, No 85)
• Restaurant Industry Trends (August 2003, No 84)
• Economic Benefits of a Walkable Community (July 2003, No 83)
• Business Recruitment - Attracting Retail and Service Businesses (June 2003, No 82)
• Greyfields and Ghostboxes Evolving Real Estate Challenges (May 2003, No 81)
• Surviving Road Construction (April 2003, No 80)
• Business Retention and Expansion (March 2003, No 79)
• Main Street Partnering: A Key to Successful Downtown Revitalization (February 2003, No 78)
• Trends in Retail and Shopping Centers Current Issues Facing Developers (January 2003, No 77)
• Keeping a Grocery Store Downtown (December 2002, No 76)
• Optimal Placement of Downtown Businesses (November 2002, No 75)
• The Internet as a Retail Sales Tool: The Growth of E-Sales (October 2002, No 74)
• Consumer Spending by Age Group (September 2002, No 73)
• Evaluating Downtown Retail Opportunities (August 2002, No 72)
• Evaluating Downtown Service Business Opportunities (July 2002, No 71)
• Evaluating Downtown Restaurant Opportunities (June 2002, No 70)
• Downtown and Business District Market Analysis, On-line Toolbox Now Available(May 2002 No 69)
• Retail Outlet 'Incubator': Reusing A Downtown Department Store(April 2002 No 68)
• Downtown Hotel Development: A Community Partnership Approach (March 2002 No 67)
• Downtown Development: Key Trends & Practices (February 2002 No 66)
• Capturing Commuter Expenditures (January 2002 No 65)
• Downtowns and Chain Businesses - Part 2: Strategies to Attract and Deter Development (December 2001 No 64)
• Downtowns and Chain Businesses - Part 1: A Review of the Pros and Cons (November 2001 No 63)
• Analyzing County Retail Sales - Calculations of Surplus/Leakage (October 2001 No 62)
• Competitive Strengths and Weaknesses of National Discounters (September 2001 No 61)
• Parking and Pedestrians: Balancing Two Key Elements in Downtown Development (August 2001 No 60)
• The Impact of Walmart on Small Towns(July 2001 No 59)
• 2001 National Main Street Trends Survey(June 2001 No 58)
• Realistic Expectations for Downtown Retail - Shops and Residents Help Economy More Than Traditional Department Stores(May 2001 No 57)
• Tourist Prospecting Using GIS(April 2001 No 56)
• Business Improvement District (BID) Development in Wisconsin(March 2001 No 55)
• Reusing Vacant Department Stores in Small Communities(February 2001 No 54)
• Smart Growth as an Opportunity for Downtowns: Position of the Wisconsin Downtown Action Council(January 2001 No 53)
• Using GIS to Measure Patterns of Retail Sprawl(December 2000 No 52)
• How Independent Stores Can Survive in Your Community(November 2000 No 51)
• Enhancing Downtown's Sense of Place: A Key to Sustaining a Healthy Community(October 2000 No 50)
• Resurgence of Inner-City Retail(September 2000 No 49)
• Mixed-Use Developments: A Renewed Opportunity for Retail and Services Businesses(August 2000 No 48)
• Renovation and Repositioning of Shopping Centers (July 2000 No 47)
• Shopping Center Site Selection: Why Real Estate Developers Often Choose "Edge" Locations (June 2000 No 46)
• Chain Store Site Selection (May 2000 No 45)
• Downtown Upper Floor Utilization (April 2000 No 44)
• Business Recruitment Process for Downtowns (March 2000 No 43)
• Service Business Mix in Wisconson's Small Downtowns (February 2000 No 42)
• Retail and Service Trends in Wisconsin: What's Hot (and What's Not) (January 2000 No 41)
• Low-Density Growth in the Retail Sector: Arguments For and Against Commercial "Sprawl" (December 1999 No 40)
• E-Commerce and Retail: Major Changes are Underway (November 1999 No 39)
• Building Main Street from Scratch (October 1999 No 38)
• Retail Development in Growing Communities: How Much Retail Can Our Town Support? (September 1999 No 37)
• Retail Strategies to Capture Tourism Dollars: Part 3. Service and Hospitality (August 1999 No 36)
• Retail Strategies to Capture Tourism Dollars: Part 2. Shopping Experience (July 1999 No 35)
• Retail Strategies to Capture Tourism Dollars: Part 1. Products and Pricing (June 1999 No 34)
• Lifestyle and Consumer Cluster Systems: A Powerful Tool For Understanding Consumers in Your Trade Area (May 1999 No 33)
• Retail Expenditure Potential by Store Type: How Much and Where We Spend Our Retail Dollars (April 1999 No 32)
• Why Many Small Stores Barely Survive and Often Fail (March 1999 No 31)
• Guiding Downtown Development (February 1999 No 30)
• Y2K and Retail Business (January 1999 No 29)
• Retail Mix in Wisconsin's "Tiny Towns": How Distance From A Major Discount Store Impacts Local Retail Availability (December 1998 No 28)
• Retail Mix in Wisconsin's Small Downtowns: An Analysis of Cities and Villages with Populations of 2,500 - 15,000 (November 1998 No 27)
• Retail in College Towns - Capturing Sales from the Student Population (October 1998 No 26)
• Retail Mix in Tourism Communities - Much More than Knickknack and Souvenir Shops (September 1998 No 25)
• Store Hours and Downtown Retailing - Capturing Customers through Better Hours (August 1998 No 24)
• Evaluating the Health of Downtowns - A Study of Michigan Small Cities (July 1998 No 23)
• Challenges Facing Shopping Malls - Opportunities for Downtowns and Community Business Districts (June 1998 No 22)
• Increasing Retail Activity through Tourism (May 1998 No 21)
• General Merchandise Stores in Small Towns - Development Plans by Pamida, Sears, Wal-Mart, and Others (April 1998 No 20)
• Niche Strategies for Downtowns - Part III. Identifying Appropriate Niches (March 1998 No 19)
• Niche Strategies for Downtowns - Part II. Specializing in Certain Goods or Services (February 1998 No 18)
• Niche Strategies for Downtowns - Part 1. Serving Specific Consumer Groups (January 1998 No 17)
• Restaurant Franchising in Small Towns - Trend in Co-Branding at Convenience Stores/Gasoline Stations (December 1997 No 16)
• Retail in the Urban Neighborhood - Identifying Business Opportunities in Under-served Areas (November 1997 No 15)
• Outlet Shopping - A Retail Development Opportunity for Some Communities (October 1997 No 14)
• Demographic Trends are Shaping Retail (September 1997 No 13)
• Filling Vacant Retail Space (August 1997 No 12)
• Business Clustering to Build Retail Sales (July 1997 No 11)
• The Impact of Catalog Shopping on Traditional Retail (June 1997 No 10)
• Trends in the Resort Industry (May 1997 No 9)
• Wisconsin's Tavern Industry - Challenges Facing a Main Street Institution (April 1997 No 8)
• Retail and Entertainment: Making Shopping Fun in Your Community (Mar 1997 No 7)
• Retailing in Resort Communities: Designing Shopping for Today's Visitors (Feb 1997 No 6)
• Attracting Retailers to Your Community (Jan 1997 No 5)
• Co-Exisiting With the Retail Giants (continued): Strategies for Small Retailers (Dec 1996 No 4)
• Co-Existing With the Retail Giants: Their Impact and Community-Level Strategies (Nov 1996 No 3)
• Retail Development Strategies and Your Community: Strategies That Work Elsewhere May Not Work Here (Oct 1996 No 2)
• Retail Trends: Customers and Competitors Continue to Change (Sept 1996 No 1)

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