Running head: A DOWNTOWN TURNAROUND 1 What Upland Needs: A Downtown Turnaround XXXXX Student at The School of Arts and Enterprise
A DOWNTOWN TURNAROUND 2 Abstract Downtown Upland needs to be revitalized. There is great potential for it to become a bustling hub of shopping and dining, however, there is not a business there as of now that is capable of attracting consumers in the first place. The city also needs to become more small business friendly. Upland needs to help small businesses open, instead of making it a hassle for them to open, in order for there to be a variety of businesses that will keep the interests of consumers. Keywords: Downtown Upland: Businesses: Revitalize: Regulation:
A DOWNTOWN TURNAROUND 3 What Upland Needs: A Downtown Turnaround Established in 1906, Upland is a fairly old city that was founded in California. Located in San Bernardino County, 37 miles East of Los Angeles, it is a perfect definition of a suburban city with a population of 75,413 people. There is a mix of different economic systems in the city of Upland. Regulations from the government that show a command market in the city of Upland include City Hall, the Upland Library, schools, parks, the police force, and even a Metrolink Station. The command economy also includes all the regulations, inspections, and requirements that businesses must go through in order to open a business. There are also many ways that Upland has a good market economy such as the Colonies shopping center with great competition, voluntary exchange, and profit motives among the businesses. They feel the pressure of the invisible hand and achieve the prize, which is money and success, for acting upon it. While the Colonies has thriving businesses and restaurants, there are locations in Upland that have not seen that kind of success. For example, Downtown Upland has room for many businesses, however, those spaces remain empty, contributing to the continuous emptiness and lack of business in Downtown Upland. Downtown Upland has the potential to be turned into a really wonderful shopping center where people want to go, such as the neighboring city of Claremont, with a vibrant downtown life. This is a great example of the concept of economic freedom of a market economy, which is that individuals have the ability to either find a great amount of success with their business or fail and end up in debt. Downtown Claremont has taken advantage of free enterprise while Downtown Upland has tried, but failed. Making Downtown Upland a place where businesses attract patrons will help the city overall in many ways as well. For one, it would bring in more money that would help Upland s
A DOWNTOWN TURNAROUND 4 debt that the city is facing. Also, a revamped downtown could inspire homeowners and businesses to relocate to Upland, which is another source of much needed wealth coming into the city. The purpose of this research is to determine the best option to revitalize Downtown Upland and make it a busy center of shopping and dining, similar to that of Downtown Claremont so that Upland can achieve that extra money coming into the city. Method In an effort to uncover ways to revive Downtown Upland, the researcher compared it to a city of similar demographics. To help with the comparisons, the researcher used the home website for Upland and city in comparison, which was Claremont. The researcher also interviewed the business owner of Six Feet Under Tattoo Parlor in Downtown Upland, Corey Miller, to see his thoughts on how Downtown Upland can be revived. Research Question 1. How can the city of Upland restore Downtown Upland to a booming area of businesses and consumers. Interview Questions 1. When did you first open your business? 2. How has Downtown Upland changed since then? 3. Was there ever a period where Downtown Upland was very successful with businesses getting many customers? 4. What do you think the city of Upland should do to revitalize Downtown Upland.
A DOWNTOWN TURNAROUND 5 Data Collection Going through the merchants list on the Downtown Upland home pages there are seventy-eight businesses listed. There are nine antique shops, nine hair salons, three insurance companies, five companies that help with taxes, mortgages, escrow, marketing, etc, and fifteen food businesses. The rest of the businesses are made up of miscellaneous stores such as a laundromat, optical businesses, art galleries, and clothes stores. Downtown Claremont surpasses the amount of businesses in Upland with one-hundred and eighty-one businesses that consists of coffee shops, clothes stores, restaurants, antiques, boutiques and more. Interview After interviewing Corey Miller, the business owner of Six Feet Under Tattoo Parlor of twenty years, he stated that, The city should bring in a big name brand to attract people. Throughout the interview, Miller was also a big proponent for the city being more friendly with small businesses. He strongly talked about how, The city should not make it a big task to open a business. They should give them all the resources to open a business, instead of having them inspected and trying to pass all these tests. So many cities work against small businesses instead. It s the sad truth. Data Analysis The main difference between Downtown Claremont and Downtown Upland is the amount and types of stores found there. If Upland brought in big named food businesses that are new, different and exciting, like Miller suggested, it would help attract consumers. For example, Blaze Pizza, a popular pizza restaurant, recently opened in Downtown Claremont. With there only being four Blaze Pizza locations within a twenty-four mile radius from Downtown Upland,
A DOWNTOWN TURNAROUND 6 it was a smart move for Claremont to add Blaze Pizza to the Downtown. This way, people will specifically go to Downtown Claremont to get Blaze Pizza, and then see all the other food and shopping opportunities offered by the Downtown. Downtown Upland s problem can be solved through a mixed economy with some regulation on some factors and less or easier regulations on others. There should be more regulations on the types of businesses that are able to open in the downtown area. These businesses should include new and upcoming businesses that will attract people. They should be places where people go to downtown to go to that specific business. If a Blaze Pizza were to open in Downtown Upland, there would be a great amount of people to go to Blaze Pizza specifically. Then, they would be intrigued by all of the small businesses that can be found in Downtown, and go and visit those businesses. There should be less regulations for entrepreneurs who are attempting to open a business. The city has a great amount of requirements that people have to meet to first open a business which takes time and money. With less regulations for those business owners to go through, they can open their shops quickly and have more time to spend on making their business the best that it can possibly be. Implications Reviving Downtown Upland would be a great achievement for the city overall. Not only would it solve Downtown s problem of not being busy, but it would also solve the debt that the rest of Upland faces. When talking to The Daily Bulletin, Councilwoman Carol Timm stated, It s so evident what a deficit we have in our city. We re not coming up with enough money (Daily Bulletin). If Downtown is revived, it would bring a greater amount of money to the city,
A DOWNTOWN TURNAROUND 7 which would go towards helping the debt problem that it is facing. Reamping Downtown would also make the city of Upland a more appealing place for families to move to and start a family. A thriving place with many places to shop and dine in at is very attractive to people who are looking for a good city to move to and raise a family. Neighboring cities to Claremont know of its Downtown as The Village and make it a point to go there to enjoy the shops that are offered. Downtown Upland needs that type of recognition that it has never experienced before. A more successful downtown would also bring more pride to the city of Upland itself. A popular downtown is something to be excited and proud about. It will help build a stronger sense of community in the city as well. Through a mixed economy with varying levels of regulations, this will be possible and achieved.
A DOWNTOWN TURNAROUND 8 References City-Data. com. (2017). Upland, California Profile (Data File). Retrieved from http://www. city-data. com/city/upland-california. html Historic Downtown Upland. (2017). Our Merchants (Data File). Retrieved from http://www. historicdowntownupland. org/our-merchants. html Claremont Village. (2017). Directory (Data File). Retrieved from http://www. thevillageclaremont. com/directory. html Marquez, L. (2017). Upland Faces $1. 8 Million Midyear Budget Deficit. Daily Bulletin Retrieved from http://www. dailybulletin. com/government-and-politics/20170214/upland-faces-18-million-midyear-budget-deficit