BUTTE — Uptown Butte businesses gathered on April 11 at an Irish Pub to garner support for a new Uptown Butte Improvement District.
"Anywhere where you’re seeing improvement, you know, making, like the community better, you can’t go wrong. So, we’re here for improvement," says Shelly Conner, owner of Gloss, The Green Beauty Counter.
Connor's business, located on Park Street in the heart of Uptown, is also a representative of the new Uptown Butte Business Collective. The group gathered with members and nonmembers to discuss a new marketing campaign, the current state of the Uptown Butte master plan, and the projects that are set to be completed this summer for the proposed business improvement district.
"We’re really looking to let folks in the area and also locally know how many great stores, restaurants, historical tourism features there are in Uptown Butte—that's our goal," says Karen Corbin of Digital Concepts and Marketing, based in Butte.
For the past year, her team has been capturing alluring scenes from Butte establishments, outdoor activities, and other tourism opportunities for the Rediscover Uptown Butte marketing campaign.
"We are working with the city of Butte, various partners in the community to really bring forth a business improvement district that will actually help with safety, security, promotion, cleanliness—a lot of great activities for Uptown Butte," says Colleen Rudio of Cascadia Management based out of Missoula.
As people trickled into Slainte for the meeting, the buzz in the room was constant and punctuated by peels of laughter. It sounded like a pretty exciting moment for the business collective.
"I mean, you can hear the noise behind us, like, this is an exciting moment. It’s true collaboration," says Rudio.
Rudio says at least 60 percent of Uptown Butte property owners within a designated boundary need to sign a petition that will go before the city council to create the BID. Funding for projects might look like the new Rediscover Uptown Butte marketing campaign among other projects.
"I think the most important part of having a business improvement district is that it leads to other great organizations. So upon approval, it will allow us to move forward with an Uptown partnership which will include not only the BID but also a foundation as well as an Uptown association so it continues to expand and it continues to grow over the years," says Rudio.
And Corbin says Butte is a unique and wonderful place to do business.
"What’s special about Butte business?" asks Corbin. "The friendliness of people," she says.
"You know, I travel fairly extensively and you cannot beat the welcoming attitude and the positivity of business owners in Butte. That’s why I live here. That’s why it’s my home and that’s why I’m so passionate about helping promote Uptown Butte."
