EDC moves to attract retailers

MOSES LAKE - One of the Grant County Economic Development Council's 2011 projects is to attract more local retailers.

It's because a study showed Grant County residents spent a total of $164 million in retail dollars outside the county in 2010, said Jon Smith, the EDC's manager director, on Thursday.

According to the Retail MarketPlace Profile done by Esri, there was a $41.3 million retail dollars alone in general merchandise stores that left Grant County.

The EDC is organizing a focus group to examine the obstacles and to see where they need to go from here.

"What we're trying to do is talk about what, if anything, can be done to reverse some of the gap here," he said. 

"We're in the early stages of talking about how to address the issue of bringing more retail in Grant County and increasing local spending in Grant County," Smith added.

Initially, the EDC plans to speak with some former business owners and those working in commercial real estate and development companies on how to go forward.

They must determine what makes sense for Grant County and what retailers the area could successfully attract.

There will be future meetings to address community needs.

The EDC plans to do a more in-depth survey or market study, he said.

The more population and disposable income an area has, the more attractive an area appears to retailers.

He cited the example of Gilbert Auto Group selecting Moses Lake for a new location because SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers locating here and the existing industry.

"The more industry the EDC can bring in helps increase population and disposable income," he said. "The kind of role we always played in retail was to try and build that economic base."

Before the economic downturn, the EDC was working with several developers who do projects across the US.

"We were on, and still are on, the radar, it seems," he said. 

Although there's a lot of retail that's gone and still on its way out, there are several sectors still expanding, he said.

But areas of the report also show Grant County is taking in more money that local residents have demand for. Those areas are auto parts, accessories and tire stores, $858,331; beer, wine and liquor stores, $2.3 million; gasoline stations, $11.8 million; and direct selling establishments, $2.5 million.

He explained that people from other places are buying wine and liquor here, which makes sense because of Grant County's wineries.

Many people from outside the area buy gas at George and at the Moses Lake interchange. 

He also thought farm parts and accessories fell under auto parts.

An estimated Grant County population of 87,986 was shown in the profile, with 29,377 households. 

The median disposable income was reported at $37,174.