Image 1 of 2
This chart showing how often mountain residents use local retail resources for goods and services is part of a comprehensive report by Julie Karpenko of Womens Economic Ventures & Small Business Loan Fund (WEV), coordinated and created with local merchants and Angel Cottrell, center director for the Mountain Communities Small Business Development Center.
Image 2 of 2
A full 67 percent of all those responding to the survey reported the majority of shopping is done by a non-commuter. In 71 percent of households with a member who works or attends school outside the Mountain Communities, the majority of the shopping is done by the commuter.
Two Public Presentations: April 19 at MCMAC; May 4 at Holiday Inn
The final Mountain Communities Small Business Development Center (SBDC) ‘Living Local’ survey about local shopping patterns had an excellent response from the community. The detailed final results are now available. At right are samples of the many graphs and charts in the report that will be presented at two upcoming events.
The goal was to explore attitudes and behaviors about shopping “on the hill” and to learn how businesses can adapt to better serve residents.
Mountain Communities SBDC Center Director Angel Cottrell will be summarizing the report for the public, showing the details and answering questions on Tuesday, April 19 at 7 p.m. at the Frazier Mountain Park community center during the Municipal Advisory Council’s regular meeting. She’ll also make a full presentation on Wednesday, May 4 at the Mountain Communities Chamber of Commerce Mixer hosted by Lebec’s Holiday Inn Express. The mixer starts at 5:30 p.m.
Julie Karpenko of the Women’s Economic Ventures and Small Business Loan Fund (WEV) worked with local business owners to define 18 questions for the survey. They wished to learn about the positive and negative perceptions about shopping locally, and what types of new businesses people would like to see in the community.
A total of 366 completed surveys were returned. Almost 200 of those were from The Mountain Enterprise online survey option. In addition, community businesses volunteered to distribute surveys and to serve as drop-off points. Local businesses also donated over 70 gifts for a drawing to reward those who participated.
The results returned some major surprises. For instance, it was learned that “price sensitivity” is not the major concern for families when they decide to shop off the mountain—it is access to goods such as shoes and fashions that shoppers are not aware are available locally. A major challenge businesses must address, it appears, is marketing, helping shoppers learn that many of the things they are seeking elsewhere are available right here.
The questionnaire asked respondents to name the three Mountain Community businesses they frequent most often.
The three businesses that received the most mentions are Frazier Park Market (228), Ace Hardware (164), and Pine Mountain General Store.
The table below presents the 11 businesses with the highest number of mentions.
Mountain Community Businesses Number of Mentions
Frazier Park Market 228
Ace Hardware 164
Pine Mountain General Store 66
Frazier Park Pharmacy 49
Don’s Liquor and Gas 53
Bear Claw Bakery 20
Caveman Cavey’s Pizza 20
Mountain View Market 19
Flying J 19
La Lena Mexican Restaurant 18
Midway Market 18
This is part of the April 15, 2011 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.
Have an opinion on this matter? We'd like to hear from you.
