Antigo has potential. Easily accessible by two intersecting highways, it is well positioned to be a day-trip destination. So where are the visitors?
Currently, Antigo has few businesses, activities, or events to draw day-trippers. Most local events are organized to entertain & engage the local community (not a bad thing, but not big revenue generators). Very few restaurants & retailers are remarkable enough to qualify as a “must-stop”. Our new playground & proposed boardwalk aren’t spectacular enough, in & of themselves, to lure visitors. Antigo is not IN the Northwoods, it is NEAR the Northwoods.
There are lots of GREAT reasons to live in Antigo, but none of those are GOOD reasons to visit Antigo. What could make Antigo unique in the minds of visitors? Get them to stop for a few hours & spend a few dollars?
One thought, not original…close off 5th Ave. permanently & make it an outdoor “mall”. Use the street space to host a farmers market every weekend in summer, allow street performers, bands, artists to showcase their wares (items they THEMSELVES create, not import). Make it available to event organizers (local or not) for car & boat shows/sales, fund-raisers, antique shows, historical reenactments, etc. For holidays, host stationary parades (floats parked at various points, band(s) playing in different areas). The city already has parking lots along the Ave. Businesses have alley access for deliveries, etc. & could claim the sidewalk space in front of their buildings for outdoor seating, display, etc. Not a huge taxpayer investment (plans to re-work the Ave. anyway). New retailers might buy into the concept & revitalize empty storefronts. Some current businesses may resist losing a few front-door parking spaces & drive by traffic. Would need a
coordinator to handle information requests, qualify events & maintain the schedule.
Pie-in-the-sky? Sure, but downtown hasn’t much left to lose & business-as-usual isn’t working very well. Time for some ideas for positive change…
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That’s a great idea, I love it!
If 64 does in fact by-pass town, this is a great idea. The only problem would be the number of businesses downtown. if you take out all the banks, bars, restaurants, and tax/income services, you’re left with under 10 “stores”.
“DF2Y Says: If 64 does in fact by-pass town, this is a great idea. The only problem would be the number of businesses downtown. if you take out all the banks, bars, restaurants, and tax/income services, you’re left with under 10 “stores”.”
Why would those businesses leave? Most have rear parking & back doors. The restaurants might actually benefit if they could offer outdoor seating in summer. Be a nicer place to work, too, if you could stroll on your lunch hour!
finally, an idea that has a little thought! Antigo really lacks in the retail clothing market, so hopefully this would attract some shops. There really isn’t anywhere for teenagers and young adults to shop. Get rid of a few dump buildings (use the new space for parking) and do some serious updating of the faces of the remaining downtown buildings and it might have a chance. We have enough traffic going through town, now we just have to do something to make them stop and shop.
Of course, this doesn’t solve the low paying job problem.
citereH, you totally misread my post. I never said anything about businesses leaving, what I was saying is that if you don’t include all of those formentioned places, we have about 10 stores downtown, if that. So with 10 places to go and shop (not eat, drink, or deal with finances), closing the ave wouldnt make it that attractive to tourists. We would need more stores first.
But the stores would come if they had something to come downtown to.
I am sure starbucks is just dying to get into Antigo since it’s closing the doors on 600 stores around the U.S. If they wanted to come to Antigo, they would have just found another location.
Ooops posted in the wrong place!!! LOL!
ADMIN: WE NEED SOME NEW SUBJECTS TO DISCUSS ON THIS BLOG! PLEASE???
What is the favored day care in the area and which are not so favor, sense we’re changing the subject.
More new subjects please!!! Hint: you can start deleting some of the very old ones to make room for new gossip (lol).
Doesn’t anyone visit this site anymore, I am wondering about where to send my children. I have heard about Quality time and Busy bees in town plus a host of in home child care. My luck with in homes hasn’t been to good. Can anyone give me feedback on the two I mentioned here.