Greater St. Louis, Inc. Visits Local Businesses in Carlinville’s Historic District, Conducts Roundtable Discussion with Area Elected & Business Leaders

As part of its initiative to strengthen the region’s local business districts and corridors of commerce, Greater St. Louis, Inc. today visited Carlinville, Illinois, to hear directly from business owners and local leaders about how the regional initiative can provide support.

“The STL 2030 Jobs Plan calls for the development of this initiative to strengthen and grow local centers of business across the metro,” said Jason Hall, CEO of Greater St. Louis, Inc. “Revitalizing and supporting these key business districts while maintaining the distinct character that makes them so special will help stabilize local communities, revive small businesses, and create new jobs.”

The STL 2030 Jobs Plan noted that areas like Carlinville’s Historic District are not just hubs of local business activity, but that in many local communities, they also act as centers of civic life.

After touring businesses in Carlinville’s Historic District – including Brave Hazel Boutique and Heinz Furniture – Hall, Carlinville Mayor Sarah Oswald, members of the Board of the Carlinville Chamber of Commerce, and other leaders held a roundtable discussion at The Well on Main Events Center to learn what is working and what challenges local businesses face.

“We appreciate the leaders who came out today to share their thoughts with us about how to strengthen their community. It’s great to see how people and businesses in Carlinville support one another and the larger community,” added Hall. “We’d like to take some of what we learned today and use that knowledge to help other communities across the St. Louis metro.”