Did you know there are now more than 600 businesses in Carlsbad Village? It seems astounding, but we've collected data on Village and Barrio businesses to help communicate all that the Village has to offer.
In general, the "retail mix" hasn't changed much since 2012, when we first collected this data. The retail mix, or offering, is the biggest challenge in the Village's long-term success, according to surveys of residents, business owners, visitors, and property owners.
However, new businesses have opened, or are in the planning phases, that begin to fill the gaps for consumer demand. Let's take a look at the top five business categories in the Village today:
1. Health & Wellness: 16 percent
2. Beauty: 11 percent
3. Financial & Legal Services: 11 percent
4. Dining: 8 percent
5. Specialty Services:
7 percent
The top three categories make up 38 percent of Village businesses, and the top five make up more than half. Over time, these percentages will change, especially as the Village begins to attract new employees and new residents with changing demands.
Attracting the creative class
A missing category in the Village that we often hear about is "creative office." From small start-up firms to co-working spaces, downtowns are perfect locations for millennial workers that want to go out for lunch, shop and dine after work and be in a social and connected environment. They may even live nearby and bike or walk to work.
Unfortunately, the Village has limited existing space for the flexible demands of these types of offices, but new development should incorporate it as often as possible if the Village is to attract new energy and creative, entrepreneurial minds.
Communicating the Village's offering
These days, nearly everyone gets most of their information online, which is why it's so important to have an effective online presence. To that end, we're working on a new website for Carlsbad Village that will have a cleaner, user-friendly interface and will incorporate the 600-plus businesses that are here in a visual, map-based format. The site will go live by next month, and its mobile-friendly version will be especially helpful to the thousands of tourists who visit in the summer months. If you're a Village business, please check your business listing when the new site goes live!
Westman can be reached at [email protected].
In general, the "retail mix" hasn't changed much since 2012, when we first collected this data. The retail mix, or offering, is the biggest challenge in the Village's long-term success, according to surveys of residents, business owners, visitors, and property owners.
However, new businesses have opened, or are in the planning phases, that begin to fill the gaps for consumer demand. Let's take a look at the top five business categories in the Village today:
1. Health & Wellness: 16 percent
2. Beauty: 11 percent
3. Financial & Legal Services: 11 percent
4. Dining: 8 percent
5. Specialty Services:
7 percent
The top three categories make up 38 percent of Village businesses, and the top five make up more than half. Over time, these percentages will change, especially as the Village begins to attract new employees and new residents with changing demands.
Attracting the creative class
A missing category in the Village that we often hear about is "creative office." From small start-up firms to co-working spaces, downtowns are perfect locations for millennial workers that want to go out for lunch, shop and dine after work and be in a social and connected environment. They may even live nearby and bike or walk to work.
Unfortunately, the Village has limited existing space for the flexible demands of these types of offices, but new development should incorporate it as often as possible if the Village is to attract new energy and creative, entrepreneurial minds.
Communicating the Village's offering
These days, nearly everyone gets most of their information online, which is why it's so important to have an effective online presence. To that end, we're working on a new website for Carlsbad Village that will have a cleaner, user-friendly interface and will incorporate the 600-plus businesses that are here in a visual, map-based format. The site will go live by next month, and its mobile-friendly version will be especially helpful to the thousands of tourists who visit in the summer months. If you're a Village business, please check your business listing when the new site goes live!
Westman can be reached at [email protected].