[Biggd]

Originally Posted by Trail Goer

Look at Exeter, NH and Amesbury, MA for an example. Exeter is right next to Hampton and the beach and almost equal in distance to Portsmouth, NH and Newburyport, MA, yet Exeter has the shops, the restaurants and coffee shops that help support foot traffic. Go to Amesbury, MA not so much, they have the restaurants but no cafe, zero hotels, no theater very few shops. By dumb luck, I got to talk to a lady who had been involved in the cities chamber of commerce a couple of years ago. I asked her why there was very little foot traffic in the center and she looked at me and said this is Amesbury honey people don't come here when you have Newburyport right next store. I told her, I'm sorry you view your own city that way because I see missed opportunity, all your restaurants are thriving, yet people come and go from their cars, then I said to her explain something to me, why is Exeter able to generate visitors being so close to Hampton Portsmouth and Newburyport. She didn't know what to say after that, I told her if you expect nothing you will get nothing, Amesbury could be a city worth visiting if you put effort into it. The restaurants themselves are already pulling people in, but you have nothing to keep them here before or after. She didn't like talking to me after that and left. The same could be applied to downtown Laconia.

First and foremost you have to make it feel safe. My wife and I went to downtown Laconia to walk around last summer, we did not feel safe. We had numerous homeless people come up to us and ask for money. I didn't see anything that would make me want to return.