Growth of Mount Pleasant businesses another indicator of economic upturn
Nine new businesses opened in downtown Mount Pleasant during 2010 — what some call an encouraging sign of economic growth throughout the region.
Michelle Sponseller, Downtown Development director, said the increase in businesses is the result of years of work by the Downtown Development Authority to create a business-drawing brand for the area.
"We've been reaching this point for a number of years — to have a consistent brand and now we're seeing a payoff from it," she said. "Our best marketing tool for downtown is the other businesses we have downtown. Our business owners are our greatest champions."
Not only downtown has seen business growth. The Mount Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce did 10 to 15 ribbon cuttings in the last five months, said President Lisa Hadden.
December and January are historically low for new members, she said, but this year was an anomaly. The chamber gained 25 to 30 in the last two months.
Four Seasons Floral, 2223 S. Mission St., opened in November.
"It's a new location of a business we've had for a long time," said manager Katie Ellis. "We decided that it was about time we expanded ourselves and got ... to Mount Pleasant."
Its new location, near campus and on Mission Street, generates a lot of walk-in traffic, she said.
The time was right for the floral shop, but many other businesses are still delaying capital projects and hiring, Hadden said.
"There's quite a large continuum of services here for entrepreneurs," Hadden said. "I think we will see this trend continue."
Some of the available services are the Middle Michigan Development Corporation and the Central Michigan University Research Corporation, she said. The services help foster new business growth.
Another local entrepreneur is Terri Ramon, owner of Salon Blu, 121 S. University Ave. Ramon said she does hair for clients from Gladwin, Alma, Clare, Ithaca and farther.
"I think Mount Pleasant is doing quite well ... CMU and the casino draw business," Ramon said. "I enjoy being in the downtown area, I just love the feel of it and the vibe of it."
While numbers downtown and in the city have inspired hope for economic change, entrepreneurial numbers countywide in years past have suggested a different trend. Between 2006 and 2009, the number of business names registered with the county clerk fell by 15 percent.
In 2009, 532 new names were registered and 631 in 2006. The numbers for 2010 were not immediately available as of Thursday afternoon.
However, Isabella has consistently had the second- or third-lowest unemployment rate in the state. According to the state Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth, the county in December recorded a 7.2-percent jobless rate — the second lowest of Michigan's 83 counties.
Part of the draw to downtown is the guaranteed foot traffic, Sponseller said. There are a variety of businesses in the area so downtown is a destination, rather than just one business.
One effort the DDA is focusing more on is attracting student entrepreneurs, she said.
"We'd love for folks to start their business here and stay in the community after they graduate," Sponseller said.
