by Ralph Nichols

That retail activity is lagging in Des Moines comes as no surprise to city leaders, who continue to deal with a struggling “main street” on Marine View Drive, along with slumping sales tax revenue.

Now a survey conducted by the city reports that almost half of all responding Des Moines businesses – 41.5 percent – say their current volume of customers is less than what they need.

The same number of businesses – in both the downtown Marina District and along Pacific Highway South – says their customer traffic is just “OK.”

Only 17 percent of those responding said the number of people walking through their doors is “excellent.”

Results of the survey, which was mailed on May 15 to 332 licensed businesses, were recently reported to the city council by Marion Yoshino – now the city’s full-time Economic Development Manager.

Only 58 businesses responded to the survey. Yoshino told council members the low response may be due in part to difficulty owners for whom English is a second language had with the questionnaire.

She also noted that “those who had a strong opinion to express would be more likely inclined to respond … those businesses that are successful may be otherwise occupied and not take time to complete a survey.”

For these and other reasons, the survey provides insights into the local business community, but is not statistically valid.

Still, “this does give us some clear ideas about how we can move forward,” Yoshino said. “It also says to business, ‘We have heard you.’”

The best news for Des Moines, based on the information received, is that over 75 percent of responding businesses intend to remain in the city for at least the next three years:

• 48.1% plan to remain at their current location
• 15.4% will expand or remodel at their current location
• 13.5% will relocate within the city

Another 19.2 percent plan to relocate outside Des Moines, and 1.9 percent each will sell their business or the owners will retire.

More good news for the city is that 19 percent of businesses that have had interactions with local government in the last three years described their experiences as “excellent”; 57.1 percent called them “good.”

The city was given a “fair” rating by 16.7 percent, while only 7.1 percent described them as “poor.”

Beyond these encouraging findings, Mayor Bob Sheckler noted that a renewed Destination Des Moines (read our previous coverage here) is taking on “a brand new scope” to promote the city.

Destination Des Moines “will no longer be working on the premise of becoming a new Chamber of Commerce … it will be working on [local] events.

“Hold on and see what happens,” Sheckler added. “It’s going to be a pleasant surprise for everyone … next year’s Waterland Parade will be something else.”

The survey also underscored the small-business nature of much of the commercial activity in Des Moines. Ninety-six percent of responding businesses have eight or fewer full-time employees, with over 40 percent having only one employee.

In addition, 55.8 percent said the city “should take action to promote better maintenance or renovation” of commercial buildings and adjacent areas.

Responses to suggestions for ways the city might improve its downtown and highway business districts include:

• Colorful banners and flower pots along arterials and public art:
  • Very helpful: 47.3%
    
  • Somewhat helpful: 43.6%
  • Not helpful: 9.1&
• Pedestrian-friendly features such as sidewalks, benches, lighting improvements:
  • Very helpful: 54.5%
    
  • Somewhat helpful: 32.7%
  • Not helpful: 12.7%
• More police patrols:
  • Very helpful: 25%
  • Somewhat helpful: 34.6%
  • Not helpful: 40.4%
    
• A promotional city website that highlights Des Moines attractions:
  • Very helpful: 57.7%
    
  • Somewhat helpful: 32.7%
  • Not helpful: 9.6%
• Relaxing building or sign code restrictions:
  • Very helpful, 47.3%
    
  • Somewhat helpful: 27.3%
  • Not helpful: 25.5%

Destination Des Moines, the newly revitalized organization working to enhance the local community, has launched a page on Facebook to share information about events and activities in the local area.

You can find the new page on Facebook by following this link.

The Destination Des Moines board will be meeting tonight in a session that is open to the public. The meeting will begin at 6:30PM and is located at the John L. Scott building at 22506 Marine View Drive South, Suite 301. Interested members of the community are invited to attend and get involved.

Story and Photos by Janet Grella

An enthusiastic crowd of about 30 citizens, merchants, a city councilmember, realtors and community activists met Tuesday night (July 13) at the Des Moines Police Station to elect a new board for Destination Des Moines.

Joe Jewell, city and marina events guy, introduced the meeting by saying that this gathering was to “kick new life into Des Moines by breathing new life into Destination Des Moines.”

“The Board” of Destination Des Moines (as they are called) are:

• Bradley Hawthorne, Sales Manager Prudential Northwest Realty and Des Moines resident
• Brenda Anders, Senior Services & Marketing Professional
• Susan Goegebuer, Seaport Petroleum
• Tony Hettler, Broker/Owner John L. Scott in Des Moines
• Michelle Fawcett, owner Salon Michelle
• Gene Achziger, Des Moines Pool Commissioner
• Amber Scott, Mt. Rainier High School student & Des Moines Farmers Market

Many of these new board members have been long-time community activists and welcome the opportunity to serve.

It is the purpose of Destination Des Moines to create an event planning and marketing organization, totally independent of the city, that will bring people into Des Moines as well as streamline the communication process within the business and civic communities. It will serve as a clearing house for all events in Des Moines.

Joe Jewell ended the proceedings by saying that the Waterland Parade, the marina car shows, the 4th of July Fireworks and Concerts on the Pier were all something we could look forward to next year. Hear! Hear!

The meeting was adjourned with audience members invited to watch the proceedings as the new board went to work on electing the executive committee, who are:

• President: Bradley Hawthorne
• Vice President: Brenda Anders
• Treasurer: Susan Goegebuer
• Secretary: Tony Hettler
• Membership Chair: Michelle Fawcett

The board went right to work and hammered out a few housekeeping decisions including splitting the combined secretary/treasurer position, as well as settin a new annual membership fee structure:

• Resident/Individual: $15
• Nonprofit: $25
• Business 1-10 employees: $30
• Business 11-25 employees: $50
• Business 26+ employees: $75

They plan to meet bi-monthly for a couple of months to organize operating procedures and will hold a public meeting soon. Look for meeting announcements here on The Waterland Blog.

Vice President Brenda Anders commented that “This group is all about open communication. If you have questions, comments or ideas you would like to share, please contact us, we want to hear from you!” she later added, “We will announce our contact information, phone number, email & web address and Facebook page information in a few weeks.”

From our friends at the Des Moines Marina: The recently resurrected Destination Des Moines will have as its’ first piece of business the development of a semi-annual event calendar.

If you are a business or organization within Des Moines and wish to have your event on the July-January calendar, please email your event information to kreynolds@desmoineswa.gov as soon as possible.

This email was sent out to all former Destination Des Moines members on June 22:

“We want to get a Des Moines event calendar out ASAP. We would like everyone who has an event coming up in the next 6 months to email us the information. Dates, times/duration, location, cost, contact info, and a short description of the event. Lets fill it up!”

Remember “Destination Des Moines,” our city’s attempt at both a chamber of commerce and way to promote tourism? It was originally started in 2007, and at its most popular, had between 75-100 business members.

However, it has sat dormant for a while.

Well it’s been given serious mouth-to-mouth by some good-natured locals, including WLB Columnist Dave Markwell, along with Katy Reynolds and Joe Jewell from the Des Moines Marina, and it may come back to life after all!

On Tuesday, July 13th, there will be a Special Election meeting at City Hall ( 21630 11th Ave. South), beginning at 6:30pm. The purpose of this meeting is to elect seven Board Members. The Board will serve as a steering Committee, and from the Steering Committee, the Executive Board will be elected.

According to a letter sent out recently:

“…we envision Destination Des Moines will concentrate its work on bringing back the traditional events such as the Waterland Parade, and then branching out to add new events that create the type of community in which we all want to live and work. With the Mayor and City Council fully behind us, we are confident that this re-directed organization will succeed and flourish with the local business community and local residents of Des Moines.”

Here’s the full text of the letter sent out:

June 18th, 2010
General membership
Destination Des Moines
Des Moines WA, 98198
Re: Special Membership Meeting

Dear Fellow Members,

This letter is to inform you of efforts currently underway to revitalize Destination Des Moines. With the help of many volunteers and the City of Des Moines, we are now in the process of electing a new Board of Directors and refocusing its efforts.

The idea is for the Board to concentrate on those areas that will have the biggest impact on the city. To that end, we envision Destination Des Moines will concentrate its work on bringing back the traditional events such as the Waterland Parade, and then branching out to add new events that create the type of community in which we all want to live and work. With the Mayor and City Council fully behind us, we are confident that this re-directed organization will succeed and flourish with the local business community and local residents of Des Moines.

It is with great excitement and enthusiasm that we are calling all Members of Destination Des Moines to join us July 13, 2010 at City Hall, 21630 11th Ave. South, at 6:30 PM for a Special Election.  At this meeting we will be electing 7 of our Board Members. The Board will serve as our steering Committee and from the Steering Committee the Executive Board will be elected.

Anyone that has been a member in good standing within the past 3 years and wishes to maintain their membership, shall have one vote and is encouraged to cast their vote at this special election. If anyone has an interest in serving on this board, please let us know. There will be a total of 8 additional Board openings within the next 60 days.

If you have any questions please contact Joe Jewell at 206-870-6724 or email at jjewell@desmoineswa.gov.

Sincerely,
Dave Markwell
Acting President
Destination Des Moines

Saturday morning (4/25), Des Moines was overtaken by eager and helpful volunteers, young and old alike, wearing orange vests and gloves, filling up their trash bags as Destination Des Moines‘ annual “Earth Day Clean Up” got underway.

Photographer Michael Brunk was on the scene, and he captured some great moments, as evidenced in this slideshow:

Click to View Slideshow

by Josh Hart

Thursday morning (Feb. 26th) I met with Dave Markwell, the Vice President of Destination Des Moines, and an active member of the Des Moines community.

Dave has been looking for a way to engage the community and bring people together. He’s been trying to get the word out to people that there are things to appreciate in down times, and it’s really not that bad.

It is also something that to make you feel better about yourself and not get down on yourself.

So he started Feel Good Friday.

Feel Good Friday is a way to do all those things mentioned above, and also Dave has a business be the special spot of the day, and that is the spot to feel good that day.

The spots in the past have been Corky Cellars, The Reuben and Auntie Irene’s.

This week the feel-good spot is Marine View Florist. The workers at the spot always enjoy the kindness and they are kind too.

Feel Good Friday is a way to bridge the gap between businesses and also neighbors.

Dave sends an email out every Friday to tell people about Feel Good Friday. Here are some snippets from his inaugural email:

Good day, all!!

OK, Feel Good Friday is here, again!! For those of you new to FGF, today is your day to make the world better!! Feel Good Friday is the day to make someone else feel good, through kind words and/or deeds, in the process you will make yourself feel better. As a life coach and long-time student and seeker of things that feel good, I guarantee that you are rewarded by your kindnesses. Giving to others is a way to give to yourself, a way to be kind to yourself. You will feel better, more hopeful and encouraged by giving of yourself in little, fun ways to others. It is without a doubt the surest win/win bet life can promise. Selfish-selflessness. So, be selfish and spread your little seeds around and watch them germinate on the faces of those you share with. Have fun!! Be good to yourself today!!!

Joke of the Week:
Walking into the bar, Mike said to Charlie the bartender, ‘Pour me a stiff one – just had another fight with the little woman.’

‘Oh yeah?’ said Charlie, ‘And how did this one end?’

‘When it was over,’ Mike replied, ‘She came to me on her hands and knees.

‘Really,’ said Charles, ‘Now that’s a switch! What did she say?’

She said, ‘Come out from under the bed, you little chicken.’

Des Moines Citizens – Special Feel Good Friday Alert:

In an effort to help boost some community spirit, I am beginning a new program of recognition and awareness especially for our little town. Each FGF, I will be designating a local business as the “FGF Special Spot”.  I ask that you make a special effort to visit this business each week, introduce yourself and if you have the need, buy something from them. If you don’t have the need, just say hello or if you already know them, stop by anyway to say hi!!! Personalizing the relationships between the people of Des Moines, citizens and businesses, is a certain way to help everyone feel better about the community in which they live in and/or do business. It gives a sense of pride and ownership. It makes everyone feel hopeful and optimistic about the future and can help Des Moines truly define itself as a community in which people will come together and support each other. We all share the same desire for more good things in Des Moines. Shopping and engaging with each other in town will benefit everyone. This concept of “Think Des Moines First” will help lead to a better, brighter, more vibrant, more fun place to be and make Des Moines a true destination for the people that live here!!

Lets join Dave in making Des Moines a friendly community for all of us to enjoy!

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is our first Intern! He's also a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac. He also plays soccer.

You can read more of his writing here on sister site The B-Town Blog...]