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How Local Businesses Lure Best, Brightest
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Home, Brain, Home by Valerie Wells
A April 4 - 10, 2012
JARO VACEK
young and bright Alan Henderson left his north Jackson home after graduating from St. Joseph Catholic School in 2005. He packed his bags and headed to Howard University in Washington, D.C., to study architecture. It was a great time to be in the nation’s capital for a smart student curious about what works well with urban planning and design. Washington, D.C., has become one of the hottest cities where young professionals migrate for work, play and a fulfilling lifestyle. That transformation wasn’t easy. Just a few years ago, Washington was ranked 44th among U.S. cities attracting 20-somethings. Since 2008, it has jumped to sixth place with the help of young, funky neighbor-
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Brad Reeves, an attorney and owner of Brent’s Drugs, says his local business gives him a connection to the community.
hoods, such as the U Street Corridor near Howard, which has claimed its mantel as one of the coolest (and most diverse) urban neighborhoods in the country. A Brookings Institution study, cited in an Adweek article entitled “Young Adults Choosing ‘Cool’ Cities,” found that between 2008 and 2010, recent college graduates gravitated to cities with a strong college-town vibe. That, in turn, means a strengthened work force. Henderson witnessed Washington’s transformation into a Mecca for young professionals, but he wasn’t compelled to permanently join an emerging hip scene in D.C. He wanted to be part of the Jackson buzz. “I knew as early as my freshman year I wanted to come back,” he said. “I saw what was happening in Fondren, in Belhaven and in west Jackson. I saw the opportunity was here.” After he graduated from Howard in 2010, he came home to start his professional career and help design a better Jackson. Strengthening the local business community is no small part of building a better Jackson. It’s About Attitude It is no coincidence that the “cool” cities where young workers want to live are filled with vibrant communities of locally owned businesses where they can hang out even if they’re paying their dues in a boring workplace. The same Adweek article advised: “In recession, they’re looking for a hipper vibe.” That hipper vibe isn’t found in the chain stores that sell the same items no matter where they’re located, and it doesn’t come from large developments—especially if they price out the little guys. The vibe is all about the local businesses that help cultivate and spread it—whether small boutiques, vintage stores, coffee shops, record stores, health markets, taquerias and even food trucks. Locally owned niche businesses in areas like Fondren and, increasingly, downtown and west Jackson, create an authentic experience that talented people in their 20s and 30s want to experience (and that many older consumers quickly grow to appreciate). The community feel at Koinonia Coffee House or Sneaky Beans, the funky consignment shops and art galleries, and a variety of restaurants offer new experiences and an urban heartbeat. That’s part
of what brought Henderson home and part of what attracts new people to Jackson. It’s not just a population influx; it’s an increase in what urban sociologist Richard Florida calls the “creative class.” He has written about what’s behind this talent migration in “The Rise of the Creative Class” (Basic Books, 2002, $28.99) and “The Great Reset” (Harper, 2010, $26.99). In simple terms, the creative class includes bright people of all ages, including those who work in high technology as well as traditional creative occupations. This demographic group insists on access to cultural events, and as a result, this group brings with it a better quality of life for a city. In Atlantic Monthly, Florida writes regularly about the amenities—or “creative capital”—that attract creative people, showing the connection between cities with bike trails, vibrant music scenes and higher rates of happiness. Steven Pedigo is director of research at Creative Class Group, a development-consulting firm that Florida founded based on his urban theories. Pedigo says Florida’s explanation of culture includes more than events and festivals—it’s also about attitude. “The role of tolerance and diversity plays a crucial part,” Pedigo said. Those attributes add to the quality of a place that makes it a great community, he said. But people base their decisions to live in a certain community on many factors: Can they meet their basic needs? Is there a social outlet to find one’s niche? Are the community’s values similar to those of the potential resident? “What we know is that what one person looks for in a city is different from what another person looks for,” Pedigo said. His research, however, shows that creative class types and young professionals flock to cities with strong leadership. The folks also crave aesthetics. “We all would like to live in places that are beautiful,” he told the Jackson Free Press. Pedigo writes a column for Inc. magazine. In January, he wrote about why a city has a particular impact on any business. “Your people—not your products or technology—are the driving force of your business, and talented workers go