Chelan, Washington, Businesses Look to Preserve History

Libby Manthey

Libby Manthey of Riverwalk Books in Chelan, Washington, is leading the effort to develop and promote Chelan's historic downtown. She has attended ABA's Shop Local education sessions at BookExpo America and at the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association fall trade show and follows updates on the issues on BookWeb.org. And one thing she's noted is that booksellers "are on the cutting edge" in developing local alliances and campaigns.

"I don't think other retailers are as informed as we are," Manthey recently told BTW. No surprise then that Manthey is the president of the Historic Downtown Chelan Association, a local business coalition formed less than two years ago.

The goal of Downtown Chelan, according to its website, is to "develop and promote the historic downtown core of Chelan by creating an inviting and economically vibrant community center, while emphasizing enhancement and preservation of the town's historic features." The group is affiliated with the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Main Street Center, a national organization designed to bring economic revitalization to communities of all sizes -- with an emphasis on restoration and preservation of historic shopping and business districts.

The idea for a local alliance of downtown businesses in Chelan had been kicking around for some time, Manthey said, but it wasn't until January 2005 that the group officially formed. "It grew out of a SWOT [Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats] analysis done by the town's planning and development committee," Manthey said. "They convened a meeting in January ... the downtown district had different design requirements so they were trying to bring us up to date." A hundred community members showed up for the meeting (Chelan has a population of 3,600), an indication that residents and business owners had an interest in the development of the area.

Then, a month later, on Valentine's Day, at the Chamber of Commerce's monthly luncheon, where they gathered to discuss development in the valley, Wal-Mart representatives announced that they would be opening a Super Wal-Mart in Chelan. "A 160,000-square-foot store with 810 parking spaces," Manthey said. "That announcement gave [the idea for Downtown Chelan] momentum."

After the next planning and development committee meeting, it was decided to create Downtown Chelan and use the Main Street Center model, which includes the Main Street Four-Point Approach, a "comprehensive strategy ... tailored to meet local needs and opportunities," according to the MainStreet.org. "It encompasses work in four distinct areas -- Design, Economic Restructuring, Promotion, and Organization -- that are combined to address all of the commercial district's need."

Members of Downtown Chelan broke up into four groups based on the model, and Manthey signed up for the Organization Committee. The groups have been meeting once a week since April 2005, and the association has approximately 60 members.

As part of the Organization Committee, Manthey and her peers have created bylaws, filed a 501C, and incorporated the association, among other things. And, as president, she said she takes it upon herself to educate members whenever possible. "Bookselling This Week had an interview with Michael Shuman, and I e-mailed it to everyone in the association," she reported. She has also found the "Independent Business/Shop Local Notable Title List," compiled by ABA, to be very useful.

Manthey noted that, like so many downtowns, parking in the tourist town of Chelan is at a premium. In addition, merchants there wanted a way to increase traffic. Forming Downtown Chelan and affiliating with the Main Street Center was a good way to ensure that they remained on the agenda of local lawmakers, and, more importantly, in the local budget. "We're making a case for paying attention to the downtown," she said.

The group is planning to hire a consultant to write a master plan for the downtown area. They are also in the process of trying to get recognized by the state, which would then provide members with technical assistance and training, among other things.

Said Manthey of Downtown Chelan, "This is a way of, instead of sitting around, we need to make this [revitalization] happen.... We don't want to look like every other town in America." --David Grogan