Provo, UT—After two weeks of collecting responses, Provo’s “I Wish This Was” campaign has a smorgasbord of ideas for business owners in Downtown Provo. Ranging from a music store to a fresh produce market, the responses from patrons offered a variety of insight for future development in the area.
The Utah County Association of REALTORS® (UCAR) worked with Provo City to launch “I Wish This Was” on June 28 and collected responses for several weeks, although it didn’t take long for people to contribute ideas.
“It’s amazing how fast the responses went up,” says Taylor Oldroyd UCAR CEO. “Even as we were setting up, we had people pick up a pen and write their suggestion.”
So what are these suggestions? Well, stickers displaying the phrase “I Wish This Was” were placed on the windows of two vacant storefronts located on Provo Center Street. The request of those passing by was simple—write down what you want to see in the building.
The idea for using the campaign in Provo was based on the desire to promote successful economic development but to also to engage the public.
“On an overall scale, the campaign seemed pretty successful,” says Richard Gregory, the property owner of the vacated building located at 19 N. University Ave. where the “I Wish This Was” campaign was displayed. “I was very genuinely surprised at how much content there was and how many people got involved.”
Gregory is also owner of Station 22 Café, a home-style café in Downtown Provo and is moving forward by some of the ideas from the campaign.
“One of the more popular suggestions was related to having a bakery and coffee shop, which is one of ideas we’ve been working on,” Gregory says. “Hearing peoples’ suggestions emboldens us to move forward knowing that the demand and interest that we suspected is actually there. We should have that business open in the next month or two.”
Chris Nichols, UCAR’s 2011 president, first saw the campaign being used in New Orleans to allow people to offer business suggestions for vacant buildings after Hurricane Katrina.
“I knew when I first saw the campaign in action that “I Wish This Was” is an inventive idea,” says Nichols, a REALTOR with Prudential Utah Elite. “I’m thrilled that it was so well received in Provo.”
The Utah County Association of Realtors is the local voice of real estate and is committed to promoting positive economic development. They are working to expand the “I Wish This Was” campaign in other cities throughout Utah County. For more information, contact the Utah County Association of REALTORS® at (801) 226-3777 or visit them at www.ucaor.com.