BY ANNA GUIDO
Enquirer Contributor
OXFORD -- The old central business district in this quaint historic college town is struggling.
With nearly a dozen shops up for sale and several others looking to close, the need to do something is apparent.
"For several years now, everybody thought the uptown was doing great and never really gave it much thought," said Jeff Schroer, a Realtor and former chamber of commerce president.
"Meanwhile, all of these businesses were struggling -- but it's not something you really want to make known -- and now they're all up for sale."
One of the problems -- inadequate parking -- is being addressed in a business revitalization plan for Oxford.
But City Manager Mark Roath said parking is not the only factor in the deteriorating business climate.
"It's easy to point fingers at parking, but I think the reality is that uptown business is hurting because we don't have the variety of stores to bring people to the area," he said.
Lifelong resident and business owner Barbara Clawson thinks the key to success for small business is having a main attraction in town.
"You have to have a drawing card to bring in the foot traffic to buy," she said. "Like Lebanon, it has the Golden Lamb. To me, that's a drawing card."
Miami University brings people to town, but the university is self-sufficient, Ms. Clawson said. "It has its own restaurants and shops, so why does anyone need to come uptown?"
Ms. Clawson is a Realtor and owns three businesses in Oxford -- the Apple Tree (a gift shop), B.J.'s of Oxford (women's apparel), and Cottontails (children's apparel).
"I've been in business a number of years, and every year it gets worse," she said.
City officials have proposed a multiphase revitalization, including infrastructure improvements and possible implementation of the "Ohio Main Street Program."
Ohio Main Street promotes historic and economic redevelopment of traditional business districts in the state.
"I was involved in one in Oklahoma, and it was very successful at retaining business," Mr. Roath said.
Each year, communities are selected on a competitive basis to participate. They receive three years of free technical assistance to restore their "Main Streets" to centers of community activity and commerce. This year's participants will be announced in the late fall.
Meanwhile, the conclusions of a study on parking problems in Oxford are being acted on. The study, commissioned last year by the city, Miami University and the chamber of commerce, found a severe shortage of parking uptown and on campus.
This fall, Miami University is opening more than 900 new parking spaces for students, staff and visitors. In addition to serving the university, the extra parking is intended to help the business district by freeing parking spaces uptown, Public Safety Director Cathryn House said.
"We're so interconnected -- the university doesn't just stop and the city begin," Ms. House said. "We're woven together in so many ways, and parking is just one of them."
Most of the new parking will be at a shuttle-served lot just east of campus on Ohio 73, and the rest in several smaller lots throughout campus.
The city is also looking at several solutions to the parking problems, including legislation to extend metered parking a few blocks north and south of where it currently exists on High Street, said Thayer Talbott, assistant to Police Chief Steve Schwein.
