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Retail rrrr Retail businesses in Pequot Lakes are clustered primarily in the downtown area one block east and west of Highway 371. The success of retail establishments is directly related to the amount of traffic .% that comes through the door. Pequot s has seen a r both in its retail commercial areas with the \ establishment of high-quality establishments along Government Drive,which have been made more visible to passers-by with the care they have put into their exterior facades. Although the retail areas serve everyone,they p rovide an effective means for attracting outside tourist dollars. Shopping is the number one recreational activity in Minnesota'. The growth in retail establishments is helping Pequot Lakes to become a destination city by bridging its dependence on s; the highway and the visibility it provides. The agglomeration effect is most pronounced in this sectors t as it is seldom a shopper will stop and go to just one store. Additionally,retail businesses provide e R : benefits to the City by supplying employment opportunities for youth. To succeed in Pequot Lakes,retail establishments need people. For successful retail,the city needs Tag to draw people in,provide a place for them to park,a safe and comfortable way for them to get out and walk around,a variety of goods,attractive storefronts and landscaping,and a lot of choices for shopping. Each new shop that is added increases the destinationfacto,;which is the key to = ' sustained retail success in a competitive market. Retail areas need to be clustered near each other 'H as most people walk from shop to shop. They also need to exude a positive feeling so that customers enjoy the recreational experience of shopping. Retail owners and workers also need to provide a positive support system to their counterparts. It is vital for employees to know what merchandise other establishments sell in order to keep buyers in the community. If a patron does not find what they are looking for in a particular store,employees should be able to direct them to fmd what they need. Otherwise,the patron will simply find what s ,. they need outside of Pequot Lakes. It is best not to place the burden on the consumer of locating specialty items,but rather to have a basic network of knowledge among the retail stores. w Although retail is a great benefit to the City,retail businesses tend to be more volatile than others, sectors. Pequot Lakes retail establishments have the additional burden of seasonality.Low wages V� and seasonal employment create only short-term economic benefits. One or two low-quality shops established inprominent locations can be difficult to avoid during the initial growth ofretail areas. Low profit margins also lead to a high level of business failure and turnover. Creating and maintaining a retail destination area takes a great deal of cooperation,something hard to achieve with competing business owners. t., Extractive Uses Mining ofaggregate is a large endeavor on former agricultural land in the northeast corner of the City. " ` r The location has been chosen ` ! because of the availability of quality t raw material and the relative isolation a' 2 3 of the area. The product mined from this site is used primarily outside of the City,and per capita,relatively few ' 'a�> ° residents are employed in this .� A gravel mine in the northeast corner of the City. 37 Pequot Lakes Vision 2025