Downtown Director Recognizes Challenge Wants Businesses That Have What It Takes To Flourish In City Center

Malcolm Johnstone likes to recount the downtown Coeur d’Alene burger battles to make his point about the city’s center.

When a McDonalds’ Express opened on Sherman Avenue in 1994, some locals feared it might put Hudson’s Hamburgers out of business. The golden arches have vanished from downtown, notes Johnstone, the new executive director of the Coeur d’Alene Downtown Association. But green awnings still advertise Hudson’s as a Lake City tradition since 1907.

“Clearly, Hudson’s had a better idea of what it takes to survive downtown,” said Johnstone, who started full-time on June 1.

A 15-year veteran of downtown redevelopment work, Johnstone is looking for businesses that have what it takes to flourish in the city’s oldest retail center.

Downtown already has a healthy mix of stores that cater to both local residents and tourists - a good base to begin with, Johnstone said.

“Our challenge is this: How can downtown remain a hometown shopping center and remain an attractive place for visitors?”

Like other communities, Coeur d’Alene’s downtown has suffered from low-density urban sprawl that pulled population and companies away from the city center, Johnstone said. “The amount of commercial growth that has occurred here over the last 10 years has to astonish the community,” he said.

But downtowns still have a lot to offer, he said.

“One Fred Meyer or Wal-Mart looks a lot like another. … Downtowns are the last bastion of sole proprietorship.”

Addressing empty storefronts is one of the downtown association’s goals for the coming year. Plans are under way to create a data base of vacant properties, and recruit businesses that fall within the dual vision of appealing to local residents and tourists.

At a recent retreat, the association’s board members also discussed ways to market the area, bring in outside events, and improve the appearance of downtown.

Johnstone also would like to see the association become a “clearinghouse of business resources” to help downtown companies prosper and expand. Retaining existing businesses is as important as recruiting new ones, he said.

Johnstone, 47, has been a guitar teacher and a bookstore owner, as well as a downtown director in the Oregon cities of McMinnville and Pendleton.

He comes to Coeur d’Alene from the Oregon Downtown Development Association, where he provided technical assistance to rural communities revitalizing their downtowns.

After five years of traveling to 40 different communities, Johnstone said he was looking for an opportunity to work in one city again. The longevity of Coeur d’Alene’s 10-year-old downtown association impressed him. So did the city’s downtown setting.

“It’s one thing to have a lake and a world-class resort,” Johnstone said. But it’s unusual to have them both in a downtown setting, he said.

The Coeur d’Alene Association has 300 members and an annual budget of around $200,000, funded mainly through a business improvement district.