If the world gives you lemons, make lemonade. Just ask business owners in this western Nebraska community who survived a massive downtown construction project which gave the community new infrastructure, curbs, gutters and sidewalk, but also left access to the front doors of businesses virtually impossible for several months. The Ogallala Main Street program developed a theme, “Downtown Construction Ahead – So What!” sponsored contests and retail promotions, and walked away with a video production which is now used by the state Department of Roads to prepare other communities facing similar projects. It started with a massive advertising program and encouraging local businesses to promote the use of their back doors, said Ogallala Main Street Manager Kathy Zeller. In addition, the Main Street program helped develop games and promote the awarding of customer discounts if the shopper was wearing a hard hat or a flannel or denim shirt. Prizes were awarded to customers who found their way through a maze of detours and construction barricades or walked a long distance to shop. It worked. One businesswoman who offered tea and cookies to customers who used the back door, said her retail sales during the one month (June) her business had only back-door access were the highest of any June in the 10-years she had been in business.
