Clarksdale Main Street , photo courtesy of www.clarkdale.az.gov
When faced with the problem of how to afford high quality signs for downtown Clarkdale, the Community Development Team came up with some innovative approaches on how to do a lot with a little budget. The Town of Clarkdale wanted high quality, consistent way-finding signage to guide Clarkdale visitors to the historic downtown area. The team purchased the first of eight monuments requiring an Arizona Department of Transportation permit and held a lottery with Clarkdale business owners for the right to lease and control the seven advertising spaces on each monument.
A rendition of the sign, with space available for local business advertisements.
Sign lease holders will have a spot on a sign for five years with the option to renew after that. Signs will be distributed throughout Clarkdale, allowing residents and visitors alike to locate fun attractions and local businesses. The winners of the sign lottery were: BC Land Group’s Ralph Clemmer, Spin Widgets’ Josh Gray, and 10-12 Lounge’s Kerrie Snyder. Once the winners of individual monuments pay their 5-year leases up front (enabling the Town to purchase additional monuments), the winners may collaborate with other businesses to sublease any available advertising spaces on their monuments.
Co-advertising is a great way for local businesses to come together and gain exposure for their businesses. “This is a great way to increase traffic to local businesses while also bringing in sales tax dollars to support the town” said Jodie Filardo, Community & Economic Development Director for the Town of Clarkdale. Through research it has been proven that up to 4x more money spent at locally owned business stays in the local economy through taxation and procurement. The Clarksdale signs are an innovative way to combine tourism, advertising, and local business.
Look for the first sign to be put up in Clarkdale this month, and keep an eye on Clarkdale for more innovative approaches to successfully doing business in Arizona.
