It’s no secret that St. Clair has weathered the economic storm well to this point, compared to others in the state and southeast.

This summer the St. Clair County Economic Development Council conducted surveys in Moody and Springville, asking people about their shopping habits and what they might want in their communities.

What follows are the responses from Economic Development Council Assistant Director, Candice Hill, regarding the surveys’ findings.

Overall, what did the data collected tell us about the retail demographics of Moody and Springville?:

“The data collected shows us that we have a ‘leakage’ problem. Citizens of these communities are spending their money in other places because the retail options they desire are not found within their community.

The good thing about these studies is the fact that they show that people want to spend their money in their communities. With the amount of growth these areas have seen over the past 10 years, there is also a great need for sales tax revenue to pay for roads, schools, infrastructure and other quality of life upgrades.

It is important that we continue to work hard to provide retail opportunities for St. Clair County residents so that we can meet their needs with the revenue these opportunities create. The majority in both polls said they spend less than $1,000 on retail items each month.”

Is this higher, lower or average from what you’ve seen in recent years?:

“We began collecting this type of information in 2007, and because of the economic hit that many of the nation’s retailers have taken since then, there has been limited retail growth.

The plans we had in 2007 have changed, and we are encouraged by recent activity.

Because of the economic downturn, we have not seen a tremendous amount of change in these answers; this is good and bad. Our limited amount of retail has held steady over the last few years and thankfully, we can continue to grow from where we are instead of having to fill a large amount of empty space in St. Clair County.

Compared to the greater Birmingham area, how is St. Clair in those regards?:

“The areas of the Birmingham metro area that are more saturated with retail outlets do a better job of retaining their sales tax revenue.

Over 50 percent of the St. Clair County population drives to Jefferson County to work.

This survey makes it obvious that they are also shopping where they work or on their way home.

On the other hand, there are also many retail developments in the Birmingham metro area that are currently undergoing redevelopment because they have experienced ‘flight’ from their communities to the outlying areas.

Many of the citizens of St. Clair County moved out of Jefferson County to get here, so retail developments in the areas they moved out of are struggling to find tenants to serve a new market in their current neighborhoods.

Our goal is to find that happy medium where we are meeting the needs of St. Clair County citizens while at the same time we are not over-saturating our markets.”

The majority in Moody said they spend most of their retail purchases outside of the city, save automotive expenses and building materials/ garden equipment. Would a development providing these services see this as a reason to move into the area or would those that surround Moody,  like the malls in Leeds and Trussville, keep them away?:

“Depending on the situation, both scenarios could be accurate. Retailers who are not currently serving this market would see it as an opportunity, while staying aware of their competition.

On the other hand, retailers who know that customers in these markets are already shopping in their stores will take that into consideration when they are looking at our area.

If they feel they will cannibalize their other stores, that will affect their decision.

These retailers are looking for the very best sites in the US for their next locations, so we have to stay in their faces to remain competitive in a nationwide search.”

The same is true of Springville, save more people shopping at local  grocers and less at local garden supply stores. What does that tell us?:

“If there were better retail choices in their community, 96 percent said  they would shop there ‘much more.’ 84 percent in Springville said the  same.”

What does this tell you, as the county’s retail development arm?: “We need to do everything we can to continue to remind retailers that St. Clair County is open for business.  

We are currently working with commercial developers and retailers all over the county to help them get the information they need to build more stores in our area.

We must continue our retail recruitment efforts so that as our population and demographics change, retailers will be aware of growth trends that make our county a place where they can be successful.”

What do the Moody and Springville answers to the type of retail those  surveyed would like to see tell you about those respective cities? Especially given that they seem to want to see more grocery stores in their  communities.”

“It is our desire to meet the needs of the citizens of our county. These studies show us that we are working toward the right goals.  The updates to these studies are a good recruitment tool and they showcase the desire for certain types of businesses in our communities.”