Story By Marcus Wolf

Certainly, a store’s success depends on an owner’s ability to understand current and potential customers. But, it also helps to be in the right place at the right time, and before too long Massey’s will be in the thick of the downtown action. The Rails-To-Trails Conservancy is planning to build a three-mile bike and pedestrian path in an old rail corridor that runs from Canal Boulevard to the French Quarter. “And it’s going to start right on our loading dock,” Massey said with a real note of excitement.

“You woke in the morning to the smell of gardenias, the electric smell of the streetcars, chicory coffee, and stone that has turned green with lichen. The light always filtered through trees, so it was never harsh, and flowers bloomed year-round. New Orleans was a poem, man, a song in your heart that never died.”

In his short story titled “Jesus Out to Sea,” James Lee Burke describes beautifully the vibe of New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina swamped the city. Though the storm’s effects linger, the sun is shining once again, and the Crescent City is in bloom. Not only are people rebuilding their lives, but commerce is picking up as small companies move into the heart of New Orleans. Just this April, Massey’s Professional Outfitters, a chain of four outdoor specialty stores in Louisiana, opened its new headquarters and a retail store in a historic downtown building.

“It’s not a high-traffic, retail hub… and it has been desperately in need of local businesses after Katrina,” said owner Mike Massey, describing the Mid City location. He told SNEWS® that since the 1900s this part of town has typically been home to light industry and warehouses, though it is primed for growth. While New Orleans’ suburban shopping centers are losing their appeal and charging ever-higher rent, real estate and rent prices downtown remain low. Plus, Mid City is easily accessible from other parts of New Orleans thanks to a streetcar line that runs near the Massey’s storefront…

For the full article and more news from the Outdoor Industry and independent stores like Massey’s go to SNEWS

SNEWS® Did You Hear? BuzzBack Market Research conducted a Project Green survey of 1,141 consumers living in the United States and the United Kingdom to determine how concerns over the environment and global warming may be influencing buying habits and how consumers live their lives.

While much of the news is good, the study found that only one in three consumers were familiar with the term sustainable and what it actually meant. The implication is that sustainable is a buzzword among industry, but not yet understood by consumers, proving that much more education is needed.

The study also found that 75 percent of respondents were “extremely/slightly” worried about global warming. However, U.K. residents have been more proactive than U.S. residents in taking action to address their worry. In the United Kingdom, approximately two-thirds of those who expressed concern about global warming had made changes to buying habits and lifestyle. In the United States, only half had made such a change. The results of the survey, completed prior to Earth Day (April 22, 2008) can be found at www.buzzback.com.

PDF Version of the Buzzback Survey Report

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