Truly special regions offer choices for lifestyle and business location beyond a central city and its modern suburbs. The vitality of the Columbus Region overall is strengthened by a quilt of thriving small towns, and a niche developer based in Bellefontaine is playing a catalyzing role that could be a model for small towns everywhere.
Small Nation, whose marketing materials urge readers to “Reclaim Your Small Town,” is rewriting the playbook for hometown economic development. The company has its roots in the decline that afflicted Bellefontaine, the seat of Logan County, in the mid-2000s. Jason Duff returned home from Ohio Northern University with dreams of hometown entrepreneurship, but the town was not-so-slowly fading, with 80% of downtown storefronts and virtually all second-story space downtown vacant.
While it might have been understandable to back away and try his luck elsewhere, what made sense to Duff was to acquire one of those vacant buildings and fill it up with something people in the town would want: high-quality pizza. With loans and proceeds from billboard and storage businesses he had started, Duff bought the building that formerly housed a JCPenney store on Main Street right across from the county courthouse. He set about convincing the owner of Michael Angelo’s, a popular and award-winning pizzeria north of town in the hamlet of Rushsylvania, to open up shop.
It wasn’t a quick sell; “Nothing’s going on in Bellefontaine” was the reply. Only after Duff’s third visit, when the reluctant owner noted how many of his customers knew Duff and thus realized Michael Angelo’s had fans in Bellefontaine, did the owner agree to give it a try. The result was Six Hundred Downtown, named for the temperature at which the pizza bakes.
The business took off. People who worked downtown started walking over for lunch and dinner. Growing foot traffic inspired owners of other vacant buildings to fix them up and recruit tenants. And Duff had a model that has propelled Small Nation ever since. Spot a building, especially a historic one, with potential, consult data on what businesses are likely to succeed, and recruit a business to operate in it.
To date, Small Nation has been involved in some capacity in the renovation of 56 buildings in Bellefontaine housing businesses like coffee shops, restaurants, pubs, a candy shop, art studio, coworking spaces and more. A number of second-floor spaces are now short-term rentals, offering better options for visitors and business travelers such as travel nurses working temporarily at the local hospital.
The model doesn’t stop with matchmaking of building and business. Small Nation acts as a mentor and sometimes a startup investor to new businesses to increase their chances of success. “We’ve found most businesses fail before they even open the doors,” said Small Nation Business Development Associate Nick Davis. “They aren’t familiar with the processes so they can’t navigate the hurdles that arise.”
That advice and support is the basis of a consulting business through which Small Nation is sharing its “Small Town Success Formula” with other communities. The newest collaboration, announced Aug. 28, 2024, is Piqua Station, a partnership between Small Nation and Piqua-based Winans Coffee & Chocolate, which has 22 stores around Ohio. The Piqua property will house a coworking space, a smoothie shop, sushi place and an aesthetics business.
A supportive local government is key to the Small Nation formula and former Bellefontaine Mayor Ben Stahler, who retired recently after 10 years in office, has been an enthusiastic collaborator. While the city has supported several Small Nation projects with tax dollars, being an open-minded partner can be just as important, Stahler says.
“Jason often asked for more than we could give,” he said, “but I worked with him.” The city could help by allowing longer-term parking near businesses or letting restaurants use city sidewalks for outdoor space, for example. Said Stahler, “I tell other mayors or economic development directors, ‘If you can’t help them (with funding), at least get out of the way. Help cut back the red tape. That’s what local government can do.’”
Small Nation has critics who question the degree of city support for its private projects, but Stahler maintains the community has benefited every time. “Back in 2008, we wouldn’t dream of getting in our car and going downtown to eat,” he said. “We would drive to Dublin or Columbus for food or entertainment. Now, you make a reservation in town for Friday night and you see people you know there.”
He’s adamant it can happen in any small town with entrepreneurs and a local government with vision and the willingness to work hard. “Some communities just wake up in the morning and accept the way things are instead of the way they might be,” Stahler said.
“Small Nation is motivated to help their tenants and partners succeed,” he said. “It’s a win for the business owner, Small Nation and the community. We live in a better community today because Small Nation took a chance.”
