Dear Santa: Make ‘small’ and ‘local’ our mantra

I have a few requests for Santa, which is likely why he has been ducking my calls and e-mails lately. Mr. Claus, if you’re out there, take note. If you come through on these, there’ll definitely be some cookies in it for you.

Santa, help us grow the 1.5 percent. It was recently observed that about 1.5 percent of locals participate in events, come to festivals, attend exhibits, go to shows at the Strand or Municipal Auditorium and generally enjoy the amazing breadth and scope of events offered downtown. 1.5 percent of the combined population of Shreveport and Bossier City is 3,990 people, and based on what I see, I think it’s possible that number of “doers” is even lower. I would like to see that percentage grow in support for the organizations and people doing the heavy lifting of putting on events to become more robust. One inescapable truth is that if exhibits, farmers’ markets, shows, performances and artwalks aren’t supported, they will go away … even if it’s something that we have long “meant to attend.”

Please continue the excitement about everything happening downtown. It has been really wonderful over the past several years to hear people – who are rightly proud of downtown’s turnaround – eagerly share details with friends and on social media. I often walk into or through conversations between people speculating on what is going into a newly-rehabbed building, wondering which building might be next, thrilled at the opportunity to live downtown, excited about what is still to come.

That energy and support is vital to downtown’s continued success.

Make “small” and “local” our mantra.

In November each year is an event called Small Business Saturday. It is a single day on which we focus on our small and local businesses and all they mean to our economy, our tax base and our regional personality. While I love Small Business Saturday for the focus it puts on our small companies, one day of love is not nearly enough. For all the money they return to our local economy, the jobs they create, the community-mindedness they foster and the mojo they create, we need to make a binding pinkie promise that small and local is the way to go 365 days a year.

Much was said in the last presidential election about engaging Millennials, who have overtaken Baby Boomers as the largest generation. One common Millennial complaint is not having a seat at the table, but downtown is the place to create a seat!

A new group called Re-Form Shreveport, the Millennial-owned Agora Borealis, a publication called Heliopolis, members of the chamber’s Young Professionals Initiative, and the youth- and entrepreneur-minded Cohab often make the case that the status quo should be reconsidered. Their engagement, knowledge and passion can move mountains or improve downtowns. We need more of their energy and ideas.

2017 is going to burn brightly downtown. The Lofts at 624 apartments will open, as will more of their retail stores, restaurants and office space. The Standard at 509 Market should follow suit later in the year. Condos will open on Marshall Street, UNSCENE will return to Shreveport Common, businesses in the Red River District will expand. Downtown will continue to be a center of art and culture with the debut of “Culture Crush,” a month-long event in April that showcases art, artists and art collectors. There will be drawbacks, too, and unforeseen stumbles and occasional bad luck and one or two bad decisions, but we’ll get through it, with your help. So, happy holidays to you, and here’s to the best 2017 that we can create together.

— Liz Swaine