“The quarter percent we get above what goes to the state is not going to be enough to support the additional wear and tear on the public infrastructure. And that’s all a matter for tonight’s debate. The point I’m making here is that GrandGoods is no savior. They’ll bring as many problems as they might potentially solve, and they certainly aren’t going to fix the long term economic decline we’ve been trapped in.”
“This is all the same song, different verse, Cam,” Grace said. “Why are we here now? And why is Norah here? She isn’t part of the City Council. No offense, honey.”
“I’m here to give you an alternative. GrandGoods is appealing because it’s an option. And up to this point, it’s been the only option for y’all to consider. But that’s no longer the case.”
“Is this more about the Shop Local movement?” Connie asked.
“Despite the fact that the Shop Local campaign is still in relatively early stages, there has already been a twenty-five percent increase in local revenues over the last month. With the recent media exposure, we anticipate that trend will continue—as long as we work to maintain the momentum. What I have in mind is bigger, broader, and will have more impact on the overall economic health of Wishful.”
Ed Falk leaned back in his chair and sipped at his coffee. “We’re listening.”
Cam watched his fellow Council members as she explained the entire concept behind rural tourism. Connie continued to be closed off, face set in annoyed lines during most of the presentation. Grace and Hank both appeared intrigued. And Ed…well who could ever tell what he thought unless he said something?
“You think people would want to come here for fun?” Hank asked.
“I know they will. Wishful and other small towns like it really touch something nostalgic for people who live in the city. Life here is so much more connected in a very real way—person to person, and also person to nature. People would come here to remember how life used to be, how it ought to be. To gain perspective and unplug from the relentless rat race of American society and plug in to the important things in life.”
“How would we even go about starting something like that?” Grace asked. “Wouldn’t it cost a lot of money?”
“Not necessarily. You start with the resources Wishful already has. The cultural identity. The history. The fountain and the lore that goes with it. And, most especially, Hope Springs. Think about all the stuff you show to out-of-towners when they come to visit. The things that you’re proud of or that really bring home to outsiders, this is what Wishful is.”
She paused and opened the folder in front of her, gesturing the rest of them to do the same. “From there, it’s a matter of marketing, like anything else. You start by focusing on day trips. As you can see here, those fall into two categories: long ones, from up to two hundred miles away, and short ones, within about a fifty mile radius. It’s the latter that makes the most sense to promote.
“Wishful is exactly halfway between Oxford and Starkville. There are multiple submarkets in both those locations, but just to name a few, you have the potential to tap into the enormous number of people who roll into town for basketball, baseball, and football season at Ole Miss and MSU, who want to attend the game but don’t want to be caught up in the crazy by actually staying in town. We’re also close enough that both universities could use us as a selling point when recruiting new faculty and students, just like Ole Miss does with Taylor.
“Past day trips, you focus on pass-through visits, both for the day and overnight. Overnights could be weekends or full on vacations. We’re less well positioned for that, at the moment, since there’s only the B and B and the Mockingbird Motel at the edge of town, with maximum occupancy at both being less than a hundred people, but provided the campaign is successful, and sustainable growth recorded, we could position ourselves as the ideal site for new businesses in the hospitality industry.”
Cam jumped in. “There are a lot of options, a lot of directions that could be taken. But the point is that rural tourism is a sustainable option that focuses on what’s already here and doesn’t run the risk of putting
the majority of jobs in the hands of a company that could pull up stakes and leave. That’s happened too many times before, and we won’t survive it again.”
“It’s an intriguing concept, to be sure,” Ed admitted.
“Sounds like a long-term kind of project,” Hank said.
“It absolutely is,” Norah agreed. “And it’s something that can be adapted to fit whatever budget or staff you have to work with. From a purely pennies perspective, simply setting up a properly designed website, geared to drive interest toward the existing resources you have would be an excellent start.”
“Of course, all that depends on those resources remaining available,” Cam said. “That means voting down the special use permit for the land by Hope Springs and either sending GrandGoods packing or forcing them to pick a new location.”
“In the event we voted down the permit,” Grace said, “in order to effectively use Hope Springs as a tourist draw, we’d have to come to some kind of agreement with Abe Costello. Those aren’t public lands out there and the city can’t afford to buy the property.”
“The specifics of how all that would work can come later. The fundamental issue at stake right now is that this permit is voted down so that it can be discussed later. Can I count on you?”
“You know we aren’t going to commit one way or the other without hearing the debate,” Grace chided.
“Well, I’m happy to take this under advisement,” Hank said. “And I’d really like to see additional development of the concept so that we can revisit it in the future.”
Ed and Grace conceded the same. Connie said nothing.
Out of additional selling points, Cam adjourned the meeting. “See y’all at the debate tonight.”
They filed out, leaving Cam no more confident of their support than when they’d arrived. “I wish I felt better about that.”
Norah rubbed a hand down his back. “We did what we could do in the time we had. It’s not the only weapon in our arsenal. Elissa Brosnan is supposed to get here at five with Dillon. Will you be able to join us for dinner to go over strategy before the debate?”
“I’ll be there. Do you know if she finished the economic impact study?”
“Not completely. But her preliminary results are enough to call into serious question the methods used by the other firm.”