Sioux Center Magazine

stores who make them feel like they will be
there for them.”
Last November, the Sioux Center Chamber
of Commerce kicked off a “Shop Sioux
Center” campaign. One of the first activities
was rewarding prizes on Small Business
Saturday, the day after Black Friday following
Thanksgiving.
“The campaign is about living it, loving it
and supporting it,” said chamber executive
director Barb Den Herder. “We want people
who live here to love it and want to support
the community and the local merchants —
we want them to shop here. I’ve found that
sometimes people don’t think about the
importance of shopping locally.
“The local merchants are the ones who
are going to be supporting our sports teams,
our nonprofits and other community projects,”
Den Herder added. “By spending
money locally, it stays right here in the community
and helps the tax base. We hope the
campaign helps local members look here
first.”
SUPPORT
Gabhart said Sioux Center’s retail sales
success hasn’t been an accident.
“About 25 to 30 years ago, the community
made the decision — it was kind of a radical
departure from what typical cities did at
the time — to invest in retail,” Gabhart said.
“Now we see more cities, especially larger
ones, who see the value in investing in retail
in the same way they would an industrial
park or attracting businesses. They see how
retail can almost be an amenity and another
reason people want to live and work in their
community.
“Sioux Center was an early adopter,”
he added. “City leaders took a huge risk in
building a downtown mall. They really have
supported the retail community and are
proactive about creating space for stores
and events in the community that attract
customers to the retail base.”
Businesses rely on that vision.
“Our community is growing and we
have good leaders,” Van Den Berg said.
“There are a lot of things that go into having
successful businesses. We are striving to do
what we do better. I think that’s important
too.”
“We talk about synergy,” Gabhart said.
“The way I would define that in this community
is that the whole is greater than the
sum of its parts. Each part has a role to play
but when you put them together, you get
something that is complete above and beyond
that. It’s something that is attractive
to people. People respond positively.”
Having strong retail sales today doesn’t
ensure continued success. Local stores need
to continue to look ahead.
“Major retailers aren’t going to sit still
— they will adapt to what customers are
looking for too,” Gabhart said. “They will
get better at customer service and even the
internet will get better at customer returns.
We already see that with Amazon, which
has announced that it will hire 100,000
people in five years to provide better service
in rural areas. There will be constant pressure
on local retailers, but they do a great
job meeting that.”
Many local retailers do have an internet
presence, creating different channels to
reach their customer base.
“They see the need for a 24/7 presence,”
Gabhart said. “Really, it’s beneficial for
stores. They don’t need to be open 24 hours
in their physical stores, but they need to
stay ahead of the customer expectations.”
Retailers try to balance investment risks
in ways that make the most sense.
“I have a real heart for locally owned
retail shops,” Gabhart said.
“The level of investment that is needed to
be successful is huge. People have high expectations
regarding having products available
when they need them. In order to do
that, you need to spend money to make sure
those products are available at a high level.
People who own retail stores are constantly
pushed to provide more and more.”
The retailers also help form the community’s
backbone.
“My appreciation for our local small
businesses continues to grow,” Den Herder
said.
“The amount of time, effort and financial
risk they put into providing a unique
shopping for our community is remarkable.
These unique small businesses are an integral
part of our community’s character.”
One reason for Sioux Center's retail success is due, in part, to a risk Sioux Center took years
ago in building a downtown mall.
WINTER 2017 | SC 17