Jun 10, 2009 3 min read

The Uniontown Downtown Business District Authority on Tuesday discussed plans to survey downtown merchants and customers to get their ideas for improving the business district. Board members said Main Street manager Connie Burd will be asked to meet with merchants, ask them the questions on the survey and fill out the survey forms. The board wants surveys from a cross section of 30 businesses by July 10.

Merchants will be asked to distribute the customer surveys to their customers or clients. Those surveys will be collected by July 10.

“To find out what people want to see downtown,” is the goal of the surveys, said DBDA board member Donna Eicher, who serves on the committee that developed the surveys.

The customer survey asks how often people visit downtown and whether they come for shopping, meals, banking, professional services, government services, shows at the State Theatre Center for the Arts, events or festivals?

It also asks about shopping tendencies and demographic information.

The merchant survey asks business owners about the type of business they run, the number of employees, hours of operation, types of customer complaints they receive, whether they rent or own their buildings, whether their business is profitable

Both surveys are anonymous and include space for suggestions.

Eicher said she and the Fayette Chamber of Commerce will try to form a downtown merchants’ support group, in which business owners could discuss issues facing their businesses.

In an unrelated matter, the board approved the designs for five new promotional “Enjoy Uniontown” banners that hang on utility poles downtown.

The double-sided banners measuring 20 inches wide by 50 inches tall feature different colors, images and themes.

The board is working on plans to raise the $4,150 needed buy 40 of the vinyl banners and some new arms to attach them to the poles.

Plans to sell “blades,” the small pieces of material under the banners on which business names can be printed, are also being developed.

In other business, board members said the first Storey Square Summer Concert Series featuring Harold Betters last Thursday, which was cancelled due to the threat of rain, will not be rescheduled.

This Thursday’s Storey Square event features two bands, Romeo’s World Importing as the food vendor and the Community Action of Fayette County food bank as the charity. The two bands are Colour like Clover and Major Hollywood.

“There are two bands this week, which is something different,” said board member Jessica Hajek. “The music this week will appeal to the younger generation.”