POPULATION 7,800
When the manufacturing giant that employed nearly half of all the adults in town moved to Mexico, supply chain businesses also closed, leaving gaping empty storefronts and a devastated town. Looking for an approach to begin turning things around, Deb Brown, the new Chamber Director, created the Tour of Empty Buildings, inviting business owners, investors, and other interested parties in the area. The results were astounding. Within 18 months, 10 of the 12 empty buildings were filled. The program has now been implemented in communities nationwide, including Paulding, Ohio, where 60 days after the tour, six new businesses had opened in the empty buildings, and Columbiana, Ohio, where all of the empty buildings in the downtown have been filled and an empty piece of land at the end of down was transformed into a vibrant dining and shopping area.
A recent Tour of Empty Buildings in Shawnee, Oklahoma, saw over 200 people attending the tour.
Communities all across Texas hold these tours every year to keep their empty buildings filled.
