On the Road to Retail
An impending highway project prompts chamber’s feasibility study

The chamber is working to increase the number of retail and restaurant chains.

While Dyer County eagerly awaits an answer to whether the Interstate 69 project will run east or west of Highway 51, the Dyersburg/Dyer County Chamber of Commerce is one step ahead, conducting a retail sector study to determine which stores and restaurants the town has the best chance of attracting.

“Retail is important to this area,” says Allen Hester, president/CEO of the Dyersburg/Dyer County Chamber of Commerce. “I remember when I first came here, people said, ‘Nice to have you. Can you get us a Cracker Barrel and a Target?’”

Hester says there have been meetings over the past few years with interested retailers who have asked the chamber to keep them informed about the final decision on the interstate.

“We hear rumors all the time of people hovering, looking, anticipating growth, but they want to see which way the road is going before they make a decision,” he says.

Shoppers come to Dyersburg from all over the region – from across Tennessee, Arkansas and Missouri. “We know they’re driving 30 minutes or more to get here,” Hester says.

So in April 2005 the chamber hired The Buxton Group, a reputable, independent third party company, to conduct an analysis of the county’s retail situation – “to confirm, or not confirm, what we thought about our retail situation,” Hester says. “Typically chambers don’t do retail development, but nowadays we’re realizing the economic value. The retail sector is considered a valuable asset to our community, especially smaller communities like ours.

“The study will help answer questions like who should be and who should not be approached. It doesn’t make sense to waste time knocking on doors of people with no interest,” Hester says. “We want to understand shopping patterns, to validate, confirm, sort out and put to use this information in a credible way.”

For the survey, the group looks at existing retail, retail trends and growth plans and completes an analysis of households in the trade area and of what people in the Dyersburg markets are buying.

The company came up with a list of 25 possible retailers to approach, then let the chamber pick the top 10 – a list of mostly chain restaurants along with a couple of chain retailers. Then, on behalf of Dyersburg, the company sent a letter to each of the 10 retailers with a copy of the study attached.

“It’s a process to begin a dialogue, a process of educating the retailer,” Hester says. “The company gave us our introduction. It’s up to us to follow through.

“These would be great for our community and for the other retailers in town. You’ve heard the phrase ‘a rising tide raises all boats.’ These companies would bring more business to all Dyersburg retailers.”

Story by Nancy Humphrey
Photo by Greg Emens