Study Suggests Ways to Revive Downtown Leesburg

By Arianne Aryanpur (Contact)

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Linda Callagy, who has owned the Potomac Gallery in downtown Leesburg for 15 years, began noticing about five years ago that nearby businesses were closing for lack of customers. Since then, she said, the health of the quaint retail district has only gotten worse, with more and more merchants struggling to stay open.

"It breaks my heart to see businesses dropping off," said Callagy, who attributed the trend partly to competition from nearby shopping centers. "We have a difficult time getting our voices heard above all the big retail voices."

A new study confirms the worries of Callagy and other store owners: Many shoppers are eschewing downtown Leesburg in favor of the convenience and variety found at surrounding malls. But the study also concluded that the historic district's small-town character remains an important asset and that it can hold its own against the malls if it provides more parking, engages in shrewder marketing and offers a more interesting mix of shops and restaurants.

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Linda Callagyn, owner of the Potomac Gallery, stands in the doorway leading to one of the many rooms filled with art at her store in Leesburg. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Shopping inside the Leesburg Emporium, Jim and Lorraine Edris, from Camp Hill, Pa., said when they are traveling, they always stop in Leesburg to shop. "I hate outlet malls. You come to Leesburg to find something unusual," Lorraine said. "We enjoy the personal customer service that you don't get in a mall. Leesburg feels like hometown, U.S.A. It's very manageable." (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Amy Barraj, left, from Leesburg, holds floral artist Iris Jones' dog while Jones helps with Barraj's Christmas wreath. Jones works as a floral artist at English Manor Gardens & Interiors on South King Street in Leesburg. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Sahuna Baribeau, center, from Bethesda, has just purchased this old barnwood sofa table from Otter Creek Collections on South King Street in Leesburg. Helping load the table is the store's co-owner, Jennifer Frankenfield. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Parking meters stay covered in Old Town Leesburg during the holidays to help attract more customers during the busy shopping season. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Jim and Lorraine Edris, from Camp Hill, Pa., said they enjoy shopping in downtown Leesburg. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Christmas tree decorations hang from the ceiling inside Otter Creek Collections on South King Street in Leesburg. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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The $17,500 report by Virginia Commonwealth University researchers was commissioned by the town this year. Professor John Accordino conducted the study with help from graduate students in the university's urban and regional planning program. Accordino and the students surveyed 240 shoppers, hosted three focus groups, interviewed 25 business owners and looked at Zip code information collected from more than 1,400 shoppers.

Although the survey respondents gave downtown Leesburg high marks for appearance and ambience, most were disappointed with the lack of shopping variety. Most said they wanted to see more moderately priced clothing stores, better and less expensive restaurants — particularly ethnic restaurants — and more entertainment options, such as a performing arts center.

The study also found that most downtown Leesburg businesses cater to a tourist market, not recognizing that a majority of the shoppers come from less than 100 miles away.

"Although out-of-town visitors do spend more than nearby residents or workers, they do not spend enough to offset the general lack of . . . . tourist traffic," the report said. "In the meantime, Leesburg-area residents who would come downtown more frequently are put off by what these establishments have to offer, or by their prices."

Many shoppers said insufficient parking is a major problem. The study said Leesburg could address that problem easily by adding one or two small-to-medium parking decks at the eastern and southern entrances to downtown.

Mike Smith, a floor manager at the New Age store Esoterica, agreed that the parking issue is a major turn-off.

"We've had at least two people recently say they're not coming back because they got parking tickets," Smith said. "They said, 'I'm not wasting my time here if I can park for free at the mall.' "

The study said Leesburg should consider opening a downtown welcome center to provide better marketing of the retail area. It also suggested that downtown businesses offer discount coupons that shoppers could redeem at other businesses in the historic district.

Other recommendations were for Leesburg to follow the lead of downtown Alexandria by providing a wireless network and by opening restaurant facades to the street to encourage outdoor dining and pedestrian traffic.

Shoppers surveyed for the study said Lightfoot and Tuscarora Mill were their favorite downtown restaurants. But Callagy said those restaurants do not attract families with children.

"You can't [afford to] go to Tuskies or Lightfoot with your family once a week," she said.

Betsy Fields, Leesburg's director of economic development and tourism, said the study will be presented this month to the Town Council, which will decide whether to implement the recommendations.

Fields said the town does not maintain reliable data on retail spending downtown. Several business owners agreed with Callagy that the number of customers continues to drop.

Jennifer Frankenfield, owner of Otter Creek Collections, a furniture, antique and accessories store, praised town officials for trying to revitalize the area.

"The town seems like it's trying really hard," said Frankenfield, who has owned the store for 10 years. "I don't know what the answer is.

"We've seen businesses come and go. It's like a revolving door. It makes you sick to think of all the people who sink money into these businesses."

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