Selected Articles on Market Street Program for Older Business Areas

John L. Gann, Jr.'s Market Street approach offers sound business advice for marketing downtowns and other business areas and their smaller stores. For copies of any articles ($4 each for S/H), please call or fax toll-free (800) 762-4266.

John L. Gann, Jr., "Market Street: A New Paradigm for Downtown Revival," Borough News (Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs), December, 2005, p. 10.

Design plans and costly Main Street aesthetics programs failed to revive downtowns. A new idea, Market Street, learns from business success and real-world behavior.

John L. Gann, Jr., "Market Street: Re-Activating Your Downtown," Illinois Municipal Review (Illinois Municipal League), July, 2004, p. 15.

Downtowns don't require redesigning but re-activation. Activities draw people design improvements cannot. Gann suggests eight Re-Activation Program measures.

John L. Gann, Jr., "Want to Revive Your Downtown? Try Marketing," Cities & Villages, (Ohio Municipal League), January-February, 1998.

Downtown's drawing power must be restored by marketing to shoppers, visitors, businesses, developers. Downtowns still have advantages that are of value to shoppers, retailers, and others.

"Marketing Downtowns in Medium-Size Cities," Municipal Maryland (Maryland Municipal League), December, 2005, p. 5.

Mid-size downtowns have special problems that neither small town "Main Street" nor mall-style marketing can solve. Three strategies and 4 things to do can help.

"Overcoming the Problem of Visibility With Proven Marketing Concepts," Downtown Promotion Reporter, January, 2005, p. 1.

Small downtowns must overcome lack of visibility with such strategies as functional specialization, comparison selling, and repositioning their suburban competition.

John L. Gann, Jr., "Main Street vs. Wal-Mart," The Wall Street Journal, August 30, 1993.

In what may be the most widely-read analysis of the Wal-Mart controversy, Gann says Main Streets should not fight but learn from Wal-Mart. Making downtowns look quaint and campaigns to keep superstores out just repeat failed "solutions."

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