Visitors give first impressions of Grundy Center’s Main Street

GRUNDY CENTER – Have you ever wondered what visitors think when they come to Grundy Center? Well, now you have the chance to find out.
In late August, Main Street Grundy Center participated in a ‘First Impressions Exchange’ with a fellow Main Street community, Centerville. Each town sent a number of volunteers to visit the other town, and rate everything from the appearance of the downtown area, to the friendliness and customer service of local businesses, to the walkability and more.
Last Wednesday, the long-awaited results came in, and the overall consensus was that Grundy Center is a pretty great place to be.
Some of the highlights from the visitor surveys noted positives such as: beautiful, historic facades on Main Street businesses, a clean and inviting downtown area, well-kept and tidy houses and lawns, and friendly, helpful business owners and employees.
The visitors were particularly impressed with pride shown in the community, through keeping the downtown area and surrounding residential areas neat and tidy, as well as the cohesiveness of the aesthetic of downtown, from the planters and benches to the flags and trees.
Main Street Iowa business specialist Robin Bostrom, who was at the meeting on Wednesday, agreed with the visitor’s comments, adding: “When I come to Grundy Center and try to find the bad part of town, it doesn’t exist as an outsider. It appears people take care of their property and they’re very proud of where they live. You don’t see that in a lot of communities, and that’s something you should be very proud of and shout from the rooftops.”
After listing their first impressions and perceived strengths of Grundy Center, visitors were also asked to list any weaknesses that they felt the community may have. To this, they noted a number of vacant storefronts on Main Street, businesses with limited hours, and lack of visual appeal in storefront displays.
In the survey, visitors mentioned more than once that they counted about seven vacant buildings on Grundy Center’s Main Street.
“Vacancies and vacant storefronts are pedestrian barriers. People tend to not want to walk by them, so having them consistently filled and determining where their next destination is, it’s critical,” Thompson said. “Why do you think malls are so successful? Because when you leave a store, you’re attracted to one down the aisle. Main Streets tend to do the same thing.”
For the full story, see this week's Grundy Register.