SparkCon

Given a blank slate and a simple question, four diverse groups of artists, independent busi-nesspeople, and technology professionals set about imagining the Triangle as a thriving creative scene. What follows are the wish lists, recommendations, and wildest dream ideas that emerged from the AllSpark, ArtSpark, IndySpark, and TechSpark workshops in September of 2006.

How to make a thriving Independent Business scene:

Barn-raise Ideas Into Actions
Empowering individuals to encourage entrepreneurial spirit was a hot topic in the IndySpark workshop. Talk veered to the highly effective barn-raising efforts common in Amish communities. Workshop participants grew wishful thinking about using a similar ap-proach to gather together local entrepreneurs to help new businesses get off the ground. Another sentiment centered around the need for better connection between the burgeoning local fi nancial institutions and the practical needs of local small businesses—a connection with the potential to ultimately add much to the area’s economic health.

Welcome a Mondial Market
A healthy independent business climate, partici-pants said, is one of different sensory infl uences, di-verse religions, and multi-lingual communication. Diversity like this opens the door for many differ-ent types of restaurants, stores, and professional services and allows entrepreneurs to expand the range of fl avors available to local consumers. One group welcomed the idea of a focused bazaar that would be a destination point for Triangle residents to get an international “fix.”

Capture Vibe and Spirit
Many people felt that the backdrop of a thriving scene for independent business is one where people are out and about—from nightlife to festivals to readings by authors—because, they surmised, it’s the gatherings of people that lead to an environ-ment rich with vitality. For instance, people should have more opportunities for “front porch” partici-pation like at Weaver Street Market, the friendly mixing of customers and staff at Irregardless, or book readings at Quail Ridge. This type of thing tends to happen in places that mirror spirited interaction with visual texture, interesting shop windows, and the sound of laughter.

Fuel Third Places
It was expressed that unlike work places and homes, it’s the coffee shops, thrift stores, galleries, and restaurants where we mingle that tie our com-munities together. An exciting cultural vibe is the natural offshoot of giving third places room to take root and grow. These places can then inspire deeper pursuits like community involvement, volunteer-ism, and, ultimately, economic stability.

Go E-mopolitan
A vital business community is one where people in-tegrate their passions with their businesses. Home grown businesses are infectious—from farmer’s markets to local brew pubs to university projects. While people like to celebrate big successes, root-ing for the underdog is more likely to captivate a community. Businesses don’t have to be big to be cool, just committed to a vision. It’s on that basis of integrity that communities can decide which busi-nesses deserve the most support.

Sprout It
The physical environment is one key to the Triangle’s vitality. Bike lanes, parks, greenways, beautiful landscapes, rickshaws, and mounted police all contribute to the feeling of a pedestrian space where “what you need is on the street.” The logic to preserve the natural environment also extends to protecting the built environment. His-torical re-use spurs independent business in many ways: from creative use of old spaces, to innovative architecture, to new cultural centers like American Tobacco in Durham and Seaboard in Raleigh. It also defi nes the authentic icons of our independent business climate.