Downtown business owners hold their own ‘Amazing Race’

Mar. 14, 2007
By JOSEPH M. DELEON News-Post Staff
jdeleon@fredericknewspost.com

FREDERICK — Groups of business owners will be scampering from building to building through downtown streets tonight.
     Some will shout directions.
     Other may run in a panic.
     But there's no need for alarm. They'll be participating in a contest sponsored by the Downtown Frederick Partnership.
     Amazing Race: Downtown Frederick — part trivia, part footrace — will pit four teams against each other to see who can reach the final destination first.
     The teams will have to answer questions about downtown Frederick to get a clue to find a series of locations.
     More than 14 participants are expected to compete to determine who knows downtown Frederick best. The event is free and open to any business.
     The race is part of the Business Speaker Series, a string of events to educate and improve downtown businesses.
     Other topics are the Merchant Movie Night and a seminar on retail trends. A workshop planned in April will show retailers techniques for visually marketing merchandise.
     The partnership's Economic Restructuring Committee and the city and county departments of economic development helped sponsor the series. The committee is a part of the partnership that collects downtown market data, develops ideas to keep businesses downtown, plans workshops and encourages art spaces downtown.
     Kara Norman, executive director of the partnership, said the race will help merchants learn about downtown while encouraging business referrals.
     Many merchants believe they are too busy to leave their stores to attend seminars, but Norman hopes the potential to meet others who could refer new customers will be enough.
     “The best referral source is other businesses,” she said. “It's extremely common for people to come into downtown, buy something, and they'll still be looking for more.”
     Customers may want merchants to suggest where to find an accessory after buying an outfit, Norman said. Others might ask for suggestions on a place to eat after shopping.
     Norman hopes participants will learn about the different amenities downtown has to offer, such as retail shops, restaurants and historic buildings.
     Merchants will get to know each other and learn where they do business, while having fun.
     “When they get back to their stores the next day, they can give better referrals,” she said. “People won't get complete knowledge of downtown, but we hope it will encourage people to want to get to know downtown better.”
     The idea for the race came during a meeting of the Economic Restructuring Committee.
     “The economic restructuring team brainstormed many places that would be good to identify, either new things or long-standing assets,” Norman said. “We did cut back on some places based on how far we thought people would be willing to troop.”
     Participants should wear comfortable shoes. The race will cover roughly 15 blocks downtown and should take about an hour to finish.
     Every participant who finishes the race will get a free drink, but the winning team will get a special prize.