3 Retail Specialty retail has a strong opportunity here and that opportunity is downtown.
PAVE THE WAY FOR SPECIALTY RETAIL SUCCESS. Specialty retail has been identified as a strong need for downtown Manchester. There are several ways to create a cluster of specialty retail through micro-spaces. These can occur as an “emporium” or market concept or could be separate units in creative spaces. Some examples to explore are: • The Arcade Providence in downtown Providence, RI, which is an awardwinning renovation that incorporates micro-residential space (250-800 square feet) over a micro-retail center. A disaggregated approach to microretail is another approach to enhance specialty shopping. Manchester may consider a container park or small space retail incubator. The downtown container park in Las Vegas, NV embarked on this trend bucking the tradition of multi-million-dollar chain store development to create a place for independent small merchants.
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Finally, Manchester should consider a competitive program for key spaces for pop up retail, a retail business plan competition through partners, and special funding for targeted retail in downtown.
The Arcade Providence in downtown Providence, RI