Books and Coffee in Downtown Mansfield? (Believe It.)

Whenever I ask people what stores they'd like to see in downtown Mansfield, I often get two answers: a bookstore and a coffee shop. And every survey I've seen says the same thing.

These two businesses would definitely attract more people downtown and make it more of a destination.

But how do we get there (in this century)?

There's a great story in the Patch about a new bookstore coming to Reading Center. (If you're skeptical of the bookstore idea, I urge you to read the story.) The owner got training on opening an independent bookstore and then set up a pop-up store to essentially test out her idea before taking out a longer-term lease.

Here in Mansfield, what if we found a corporate sponsor (or two) to cover the cost of the training and 3 months of storefront rent for the resident with the best bookstore idea? The town would help by streamlining the permitting process and highlighting the store on social media.

A coffee shop would work the same way, with individuals applying for sponsorship. (See some great pop-up coffee shop ideas here, here and here.) The coffee shop would complement the bookstore, with each owner sending business to the other. Local restaurants would benefit too.

This type of collective action, led by the community but supported by local government, is what smart growth is all about. We can all have a say in how our downtown grows and takes shape, not only in terms of the types of businesses we want, but also in terms of where and how we spend our time (and dollars).

These are just a few of the actionable ideas that can make downtown Mansfield great again. With a little creativity, we can make it happen.