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Columbus ranks #350 on "Indie City Index"

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Started 1 year ago by ScottUlrich
Latest reply from Walker

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ScottUlrich

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The Indie City Index is a ranking of American metropolitan areas by the proportion of retail activity captured by independents. Columbus ranked #350 out of the 361 metropolitan areas included in the study.

At least we ranked above Cleveland (#356). And, granted, it includes the entire metropolitan area and doesn't distinguish between city proper and suburbs... but still.

See the rankings & view the full report here.

Notable cities & their rankings: (Ohio Cities in bold)
#7 Austin
#12 NYC
#36 LA
#43 Tucson
#50 New Orleans
#68 Phoenix
#77 Charleston (SC)
#78 Portland
#79 Louisville
#83 Miami
#90 Seattle
#93 Denver
#96 San Francisco
#99 Chattanooga
#102 Las Vegas
#103 Boston
#109 Detroit
#110 Knoxville
#113 Washington, DC
#115 Sacramento
#122 Baltimore
#127 Birmingham AL
#135 Philadelphia
#140 Buffalo
#149 Boulder
#162 Houston
#180 Chicago
#211 Toledo
#237 Indianapolis
#243 Dayton
#247 Youngstown
#250 St. Louis
#281 Canton
#283 Minneapolis-St. Paul
#301 Akron
#312 Pittsburgh
#317 Lima
#318 Cincinnati
#328 Dallas-Ft. Worth
#345 Mansfield
#350 COLUMBUS
#351 Sandusky
#356 Cleveland

Posted 1 year ago #
groundrules

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F U SANDUSKY!!!!!

Posted 1 year ago #
cc

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A bit of an eye opener, though a lot of stuff (like the Wexner empire) started here. We might not have a lot of independent retail, but we sure have a ton of retail.

Also interesting since our size, and population is similar to Austin's (#7).

Posted 1 year ago #
DavidF
Elysium Fields
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So who was #1?

Posted 1 year ago #
ScottUlrich

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Top 5:

1. Ocean City, NJ
2. Bellingham, WA
3. Medford, OR
4. Carson City, NV
5. San Jose, CA

Posted 1 year ago #
DavidF
Elysium Fields
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Thanks. I'm not super surprised by our ranking. Columbus has come a long way in the last 20 years in terms of great local businesses (especially restaurants), but we still have a long ways to go in building a more robust local retail scene.

Posted 1 year ago #
joev
Merion Village
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Interesting. It seems like factors like high prices for commercial rent/real estate and small or seasonal populations have a lot of effect on the outcome.

Posted 1 year ago #
Paul
Vancouver, BC
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ScottUlrich wrote >>
Top 5:

2. Bellingham, WA

Bellingham represent!

<--Former Bellingham resident here.

Posted 1 year ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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ScottUlrich wrote >>
And, granted, it includes the entire metropolitan area and doesn't distinguish between city proper and suburbs... but still.

I have to wonder if this is one of those instances where our large size (due to annexation) has hurt us.

Either way, that's a piss poor ranking for Columbus. :(

Time to start spending more money locally!

http://www.columbusunderground.com/new-years-resolution-a-year-of-spending-more-locally

Posted 1 year ago #
JonMyers
HCMC ✈
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ScottUlrich wrote >>

Something tells me independent businesses need to use more Papyrus if they are going to fair well in these type of indexes.

Posted 1 year ago #
bob.os
Columbus *not* Cbus
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JonMyers wrote >>

ScottUlrich wrote >>

Something tells me independent businesses need to use more Papyrus if they are going to fair well in these type of indexes.

I think we raise our ranking if everyone were to use a local type foundry.

Posted 1 year ago #
drew

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I'm having a hard time making this list make sense.

I've spent my fair share of time in San Jose and Santa Cruz, and I can't imagine SJ being any sort of indie retailer mecca -my general impression is of scads of new build strip malls with chain retailers everywhere. Santa Cruz, OTOH, is about as indie as it gets (the city and its residents actively try to stop the incursion of anything even close to chain retail within city limits through any means possible) and is ranked well below SJ.

Posted 1 year ago #
AmyArt21
Short North
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JonMyers wrote >>

ScottUlrich wrote >>

Something tells me independent businesses need to use more Papyrus if they are going to fair well in these type of indexes.

Indeed.
Although, according to this list, it's not very "indie" to use Papyrus! :)
http://www.inspirationbit.com/a-plea-from-16-most-overused-fonts/

Posted 1 year ago #
JonMyers
HCMC ✈
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I think you all are right regarding Papyrus. I wonder if a city loses extra points in the index if an independent business located there uses Papyrus in their logo?

Posted 1 year ago #
ZHC
101 East Main Street, Downtown
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drew wrote >>
I'm having a hard time making this list make sense.
I've spent my fair share of time in San Jose and Santa Cruz, and I can't imagine SJ being any sort of indie retailer mecca -my general impression is of scads of new build strip malls with chain retailers everywhere. Santa Cruz, OTOH, is about as indie as it gets (the city and its residents actively try to stop the incursion of anything even close to chain retail within city limits through any means possible) and is ranked well below SJ.

+1
Same here Drew.
E.g. Greeley, Colorado I've been to several times and while it is ranked as one the 25 very best overall according to this study, my impression was it was a pretty typical rural micropolitan. Wal-marts, strip malls galore. I admit I didn't explore the entire city but its' downtown area seemed very depressed/vacant when I was there.

In any event I take the low ranking for Columbus as an opportunity, for if we truly are 13 spots from the very bottom than I suppose the most likely direction we really can go is up.

Posted 1 year ago #
cc

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Ever since I discovered you paid for the 'real' seal for cheese instead of earning it, I have been sceptical of surveys, rankings and monikers...

Posted 1 year ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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Retail mix in Central Ohio dominated by chains, study finds
Business First - by Dan Eaton
Date: Friday, April 29, 2011

With thriving concentrations of hometown retailers in inner neighborhoods like the Short North and Clintonville as well as several suburbs, consumers might think Central Ohio would rank among the most active areas for independently owned merchants.

They would be wrong, according to one study.

READ MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/print-edition/2011/04/29/columbus-area-retail-mix-dominated-by.html

Posted 1 year ago #