For the 
betterment of us all

There are many empty storefronts along Princeton’s Main Street, particularly on the south end. It’s been a problem that has plagued Princeton for a long time. Obviously, from a financial perspective, if most of these storefronts were filled with businesses, Princeton would be a healthier city. High occupancy and increased sales tax revenue would provide us opportunities to improve our infrastructure and aesthetic appeal without having to rely so much on debt. Finding a solution to fill empty buildings with businesses has been discussed time and again, and time and again, it’s been proven not to be an easy task, but it can be done.  

Princeton has always been known as a nice community, and in recent years, we’ve been fortunate to be identified with Festival 56. It’s added an artistic element to our reputation. Working alongside Festival 56 and its success, it’s possible we can change the landscape of downtown. Creative input, through diverse community involvement, centered on artistic ideas with a singular business purpose, might someday soon lead many to view Princeton as something more than just a nice community. Identifying ourselves with the arts in a business sense could give Princeton a financial boost. Specialty shops, boutiques and galleries with artistic themes and reasonably priced merchandise wouldn’t compete with one another as much as they’d complement one another. With a sound mix of already well established businesses, and a schedule of plays, concerts and other cultural events, Princeton could become a year-round city of destination. Businesses and industry might start coming to us, as the result of being a vibrant and culturally healthy community, and we wouldn’t have to rely so much on soliciting growth through land development and economic incentives.

Filling and maintaining empty storefronts won’t be easy. There must be a desire to revitalize. Current and past retailers must be involved. A development plan with short- and long-term goals would be needed. Those who eventually decide to take a chance on starting a business would need patience, and there would be a financial risk. And regardless of what occurs, there must be a commitment to Shop Princeton First. My example may fall short of reasonable expectations. After all, a schedule of plays, concerts and other cultural events would be a significant challenge all on its own. If anything, maybe the idea of change, of a transformation, will get people once again thinking about our downtown and what can be done to fill our storefronts. It’d be for the betterment of us all.