Guest post by Becky McCray
New Book Coming in April: Small Town Rules

at your neighborhood bookstore!

The old lines between rural and urban are blurring.

• Urban people are moving back to small towns
• Small towns are paying more attention to urban planning and livability
• Rural areas are being swallowed by urban developments

We took the seven rules we think make small town businesses especially successful, and we applied them to the most urban small business and the biggest brands.

Where once more people trusted big businesses for stability and consistency, now more consumers trust small businesses and want to support their local economy.

This is a guest post from urbanist Kristen Jeffers, my next-door-seat-neighbor last Fall at CityWorks (X)po in Roanoke. It was so nice to meet her in person and continue our conversations here!

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I am only one generation removed from living on a farm. This translates to me spending summer afternoons with my grandparents in fields, watching them pluck strawberries, corn, muskedine grapes and various versions of greens out of the ground. I then watched as green beans were freshly snapped, greens were washed and chopped and everything was freshly prepared for a good ol’ southern meal.

Then, the children would go outside and run all of that food off until dark. Obesity? What was that?

My grandparents spoke of having bus services, corner stores, neighborhood ball fields and community gatherings, along with attending church just up the road when they were my age (I’m in my mid-twenties).

With the exception of the gatherings and the churches, all that is gone now. It makes me sad and it inspires my work as an urbanist. Let some “urban” be urban and “rural” be rural, right?

Well, it goes deeper than that.

To me, the principles of urbanism speak of the community, the sustainability of growing one’s own food and even one’s own fiber for clothing.

The neighbor who sold sundries and raw goods so one wouldn’t have to go to the city. The buses to take you up North Carolina’s state highways until you got to the town proper and beyond to who knows where for a different cultural experience.

Thanks to the internet, we have the ability to bring culture out to the rural towns.

Rural towns provide good bones of urban life.

All those rowhouses and live-work units and open fields suitable for planting exist in many small rural towns all across America. Culture is not limited to greasy fried chicken, bluegrass and gospel. People in Saxphahaw, a very small town about 16 miles west of Chapel Hill and 35 miles east of Greensboro are holding a public health ideas conference in April. They are bringing together scholars and thinkers, who may be more at home at Chapel Hill, to this smaller hamlet only locals have really heard about. In addition to discussing public health innovation, there will be live music, kayaking and opportunities to partake in local foods, some of which has been highlighted by the New York Times.

Additionally, Andres Duany, one of the fathers of New Urbanism, has turned his attention to creating agrarian urbanism in his latest book. Having seen the renderings of the site plans, it looks a lot like what we have in our small towns. In fact, the idea of the book was birthed from designing a brand new traditional small town. This new  community has connectivity, along with miles and miles of useable farmland to help make one’s food and clothing items and support self sufficiency.

Katie’s not too far off base with her movement to micropolitan areas. Before we build a new “new urban” community, let’s step back and think about the forms we’ve already been using. Add a little bit more cultural diversity and we have what we need to survive the next energy crisis or just survive our own personal economic or lifestyle crisis.

Thanks, Kristen! 

Kristen Jeffers is The Black Urbanist. Inspired by a childhood in a North Carolina urban community and scholarly work in community development, she seeks to create real community through online and offline means. Visit her site or find her on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.

Lucky you!

Micropolitans are well-positioned as gasoline prices increase thanks to their pre-existing, densely built downtowns. City centers facilitate walkable/bikeable convenience. If you already live here, great! I believe most micropolitans are poised to be greatly advantageous places to live, work, and build an business as oil and gas prices rise.

However, many micropolitans (even the ones with a relatively lengthy and successful period of revitalization) do not yet have the density or diversity of independent businesses to make way for a future with less dependence on oil.

That spells: opportunity!

gas: it's not going to get cheaper!

Urbanist Richard Florida was on CNN recently discussing the topic of gasoline at $2.50/gallon. He said,

“Americans have to change the way they live. [...] We have to become less dependent on the car, we have to live closer to where we work, increase numbers of bikers and walkers…[...] To make the American economy thrive we need to become less oil dependent [...] and the best thing we can do is change the way we live” (emphasis added) 

“We’re into a century of urbanization — across the globe”, writes Neal Pearce. So let’s think about what our mostly-overlooked micropolitans need, and, the businesses that can serve them.

Permaculture & Micropolitan Businesses

I am a student of permaculture, the landscape design system intended to mimic ecological systems for the greatest sustainability and environmental repair. Permaculture design informs much of my thought about micropolitans and indie business development within them. If this fires you up, too, awesome! 

@UrbanEscapee I Heart Micropolitans + Indie Biz + Permaculture, too!

(click to tweet!) 

Similar to the popular idea of “economic gardening“,  I believe that a micropolitan’s economic future is grown from within. Unlike the general economic gardening thesis, I believe applying a permaculture perspective to micropolitans is very relevant. No waste; all parts connected; and guilds (groups) form to maximize the collective effort and output of all.

Lodro R. in the Netherlands read the Micropolitan Manifesto and wrote me a great example of this interconnectivity in his own life:

[I]n my neighbourhood I’ve just set up a community supported bakery, connected to a permaculture garden and a couple of urban CSAs. We live downtown, in what you might call a village within the city and it’s amazing how many initiatives are starting up and establishing themselves. We debuted at the farmer’s market last week and it was a success, and now our subscription slots are filled! [...] My first priority is to build a viable network around the bakery, connect to the kitchen gardens we have here, and go for a community supported kitchen too. And really invest in a networked inner-city economy. (emphasis added)

What Kinds of Indie Businesses?

Fuel costs will result in increasing transportation (and end-user) costs of many goods. This is an opportunity. It will mean the “local” option may become more cost-effective. That’s great news for sustainability. It’s also great news for local and regional economies.

What sort of businesses are needed? Just about anything, but, any part of our food system is a great place to start. What do you think?

My recommendation for entrepreneurs as gas prices rise? Locate downtown, adjacent to a sidewalk!

Thanks for sharing, Mr. Florida!

Hello, friends!

A big welcome to you—it’s been a big day on the radio today! Thank you for finding Urban Escapee. By coincidence both recent radio appearances were broadcast today. Both discuss building an indie business in a micropolitan.

Dick Gordon was so cool!

“The Story with Dick Gordon” 

“The Story” is an American Public Radio show broadcast nationally (and, thanks to satellite radio internationally, too) featuring real people and real stories… I spoke about some of the challenges building our business, George Bowers Grocery, in 2008 after leaving New York City for the micropolitan of Staunton, Virginia. I recommend the full episode! If you just like to hear my bit, it’s at 31 minutes in….hear the drama, dirt, and glory here!

“Small Biz Survival”

Becky McCray is author of the forthcoming book “Small Town Rules“, which is all about what corporate America can learn from small towns. Becky and I immediately hit it off based on our shared interest in social media, and “small town” retail (in addition to her other pursuits, Becky also owns a liquor store in Woods County, Oklahoma). Check out her bio here.

I’m on Becky’s podcast today talking about a host of issues building a business in a small town. Like, what makes a micropolitan “cool”, anyway? Have a listen here.

A big thanks to Dick and Becky for having me as a guest!

About This Site

I cover the unsung advantages and attributes of our rural urbanism. Check out the Micropolitan Manifesto and the posts here for more thoughts on that… and please, join the conversation. You can reach me by  joining the mailing list or saying hello on the Facebook page.

It was just announced that Staunton, my home, is rated the #1 micropolitan in Virginia and #13 nationally by Site Selection, the national “magazine of corporate real estate strategy & economic development”. This came on the heels of the “Micropolitan Manifesto” being featured at Forbes.

Pretty exciting stuff!

But, as I said on Facebook, “it’s not the full story”. My friend Ellen B. summarized my feelings about the “traditional” micropolitan measurement methods when she wrote:

Unfortunately, every one of the data points for growth is about corporate expansion, not about capacity building, creating a thriving local economy or infrastructure for small business. It’s time to use meaningful metrics which evaluate the impact on communities we live in and measure sustainable change.

Did you catch the phrase “capacity building”?

If you’re unfamiliar with the term, Wikipedia defines it as “strengthening the skills, competencies and abilities of people and communities in developing societies”…

Micropolitan residents aren’t exactly living in “developing societies” in the traditional sense, but you and I are absolutely living in places that have extreme reserves of untapped capacity. In other words, yes, we might do well to consider ourselves “developing societies”.

Consider this:

What Makes a Micropolitan?

Capacity: Micropolitan “rural urbanism”—the original “smart growth“!—already exists and is built to human-scale — excellent for a future with limited resources, especially fuel (Micropolitans must have a Main Street and/or a densely built downtown, people!)

Capacity: Micropolitan residents contain a fundamental understanding that most economic growth must come from within (e.g. indie biz!), and enjoy support from local supporters/customers/patrons. Some micropolitans, as a bonus, offer a historically-reinforced, innate sense of self-reliance, too.

Capacity: Micropolitans offer close(r) proximity to nature, which contributes to a rich and contented life—as do the social dividends present from the physical interaction that comes with living in a walkable community. Moreover, micropolitans offer greater socio-economic diversity greater than life in the suburbs. The very best are on par with larger cities culturally (scaled accordingly, of course). These top-notch micropolitans offer residents the mental and creative stimulation of a larger city, without the headaches and expense of living/driving/working in a crowded city.

Capacity: The most successful micropolitans welcome the weird, the untested, and the experimental… maybe not all the time, but yes, sometimes, and regularly, because micropolitans know that another real advantage happens when they willingly! happily! intentionally! secede from “Generica”.

These are four pillars that make a true micropolitan. “City” is part of the very word “capacity”, yet, no one is celebrating the capacity of our micropolitans—will you join me in doing so?

Micropolitans are wrongly defined when the only metric is their population.

click to tweet!

Later Ellen wrote:

We are living the [micropolitan] manifesto wherever we live when we are present in our communities.

click to tweet!

That’s key, too. Micropolitans aren’t simply a collection of people; they orbit a collection of ideas.  click to tweet!

What do you think makes a micropolitan?

Add your voice here or on Facebook. P.S. Be sure to sign up for the newsletter to be notified about the book, too!

In January I released the Micropolitan Manifesto, a call to connect with the artists, changemakers, and entrepreneurs who are passionately reimagining, restoring and revitalizing micropolitans across this country and Canada.

The response was overwhelming.

One of the first to respond was Scott Dadson, City Manager of the coastal micropolitan Beaufort, South Carolina.

If you’re unfamiliar with Beaufort, it is nestled on the waterfront near Hilton Head. The city is blessed with a collection of preserved historic architecture similar to my micropolitan of Staunton, Virginia and has many existing amenities. What is notable, however, is Beaufort’s very ambitious 2050 plan to increase density and maximize urban land use, make the city more walkable/bikeable, and even has plans to build a waterfront walk…the latter being an incredible gift to residents’ quality of life and connection to nature… to say nothing of the ecological restoration restoring the waterfront will entail, too!

Dadson met with community leaders across Beaufort and asked, “How can we become a better micropolitan?”. Every department in the city responded with an essay. It was discussed and distilled and the result was:

Beaufort’s own “Micropolitan Manifesto”!

Isn’t that AWESOME? Instead of sitting back passively, Beaufort got out there and discussed proposed and existing community efforts. Then they collaborated and created a unique manifesto that distilled their vision down to its core.  As the tagline indicates, it bridges its historic identity with a strong vision for the future: “300 Years of Experience Leading to an Improved Fourth Century”.

Moreover, they shared it with us to read!

I think that deserves applause.

Congrats, @Beaufort_SC for collaborating on a shared vision for your micropolitan! Loved reading it. @UrbanEscapee http://bit.ly/A8kUKV

click to tweet them congrats!

Beaufort, SC's "Micropolitan Manifesto"

Read Beaufort, South Carolina’s “Micropolitan Manifesto” here (.pdf). (Read it in your browser or right-click, save-as to your desktop.)

How Your Community Can Write a Micropolitan Manifesto

Any community group or government can benefit from writing a Micropolitan Manifesto. It reflects the input and voices of common people and community stakeholders. The process will help solidify your community goals and values. It is a living document. Your manifesto is the connection between actions today and life tomorrow.

Beaufort’s Micropolitan Manifesto demonstrates some key concepts I recommend:

Keep it Short. A manifesto should be brief and to the point; no more than 20 pages.

Make it Beautiful. Your pages should be inspiring. Use real images from your community. No stock photography, please!

Address the “Big Stuff”. A manifesto sets forth community vision, values, and actionable goals. Assign at least one page each to these specific “big picture” issues that are critical to micropolitan success in the next 20 years:

• How are we supporting our entrepreneurs and indie businesses?
• How are we increasing walking and biking infrastructure and/or minimizing sprawl?
• What environmental assets are we restoring?
• What “quality of life” projects have we committed to and are pursuing?
• What “community strengthening” projects are we supporting?
• Why are we doing what we’re doing?
• How has our past prepared us for this future?

Distilling your answers into a few brief sentences of consensus with a “for the long haul” timeline yields the immense value of this exercise.

KEY CONCEPT: The projects and missions outlined in your manifesto will be pursued as a community with a 20-year+ timeline. This means everything in it will be pursued no matter which politician is voted in or out at the local, state, or national level. A micropolitan manifesto is people driven, not politically  driven! It is an exercise in taking control of our communities in a bottom-up way, with a commitment to a longer time horizon than most two or four-year political cycles.

Make it Actionable. Who is involved for the long haul? What are the benchmarks of success?

Ready to get started? Collect some friends, colleagues, and peers and start the conversation. Do not wait for “someone else” to define your community’s future. Need help? Contact me. I’m on an adventure to remake our micropolitans!

Welcome, Hillville Readers!

I was honored that the Micropolitan Manifesto and our business George Bowers Grocery were featured this week at theHillville.com a new, thoughtful publication about urban Appalachian identity.

Moving back to Virginia was a way to connect with my extended family and my heritage. What I’ve discovered—and what other urban escapees returning to Appalachia may, as well—is that nothing present or past is as simplistic as we are lead to believe or as crass as it is stereotypically presented. There are many nuanced threads of history, culture, race, religion and economics that touch lives in Appalachia and other micropolitans across the country.

Many urbanists and their sustainability-focused cohorts and peers focus on our largest cities to the exclusion of rural urbanism. They’re missing out!

Check out Appalachia’s advantages if entrepreneurs chose to rebuild the micropolitans:

• A history of self-reliance and independence; two traits shared by entrepreneurs;
• A culture that values handmade and artisan; also one that remembers “old time” skills valuable to those interested in sustainable living;
• Comparatively inexpensive land and existing businesses for sale;
• In the deepest hollows an awakening that there needs to be “Plan B” after coal; resulting in growing incentives for independent, local business investment (check out these state-specific business funding resources);
• Close proximity to nature, which is great for “city” escape…

For these reasons, I believe

Appalachia is a great place to begin a micropolitan reinvention and revitalization!

click to tweet!

photos by Pat Jarrett

I’m kicking off the new year with a manifesto.

Distilling your life into one sentence and a philosophy about How.Things.Should.Be into 20 short pages is an exercise I fully recommend.

Do I really think the ideas inside could radically remake America for the better? You bet. You can read more about it here.

A big hello to Salon readers who are here after reading “My Brilliant Second Career: We never thought we’d be grocers”

The story gives a glimpse into the reality of building an independent business, and some of the particular challenges we faced getting started. Many of these business building challenges (financing, partnerships, addressing market needs, etc.) are universal despite location.

My focus at this site is on building businesses in small cities, and in particular, Main Street/downtown. While our experience was leaving the “big city”, I am very pro-city…specifically, the dense, walkable infrastructure so common before the car.

It’s my belief that if you consider yourself part of the “99%”, you need to put our money where your mouth is—and the most powerful way to do that is to support local businesses. Strengthening our local economies does more than strengthen our independence from faceless corporate titans; it helps to determine individual and community destinies. Independent businesses also play a tremendous role in community culture, too.

Rural America is exceptionally well-suited for the pioneering effort necessary to rebuild our economy and our cities into more sustainable and just places (even, and especially, the small cities).

Welcome to the small cities revolution!

net_efekt, Flickr

This week we give thanks that our micro-grocery/cafe, George Bowers Grocery, celebrates its third year in business!

We were happy to be featured on the website IndependentWeStand.org, a site dedicated to “the importance and benefits of buying local” …just in time for Black Friday! The post is titled, “I Need That Record!”.

Meanwhile, the book about building our business in a small town is coming along smoothly… fingers crossed and it will be delivered to the publisher on time this winter.

In case you wondered, here’s why we keep vinyl records in our grocery store…