“How defunct?”
“Well, I can’t really remember the last time they met. They never formally disbanded, but they haven’t actually done anything in a good five, maybe seven years. Not since I bought the nursery, and I’m technically a member.”
“Well then, now’s the time to revive it. Local businesses are going to be the biggest potential allies in this fight, as they’re the ones who have the most to lose.”
He couldn’t fault her logic. “I’ll make some calls, put something together.”
“Good. Let me know when and where. If we can get a venue with a marker or chalkboard, that would be really helpful, but in a pinch I can pick up a flip chart and easel.” She began listing things out in a smaller notebook.
“Should be able to set something up at the community center. I’m pretty sure they’ve got markerboards floating around there somewhere. I’ll go by and book the space tomorrow.”
“Good. Do you think they’d be willing to show up out of concern and civic duty or should we offer incentives?”
He offered her a steaming mug. “Incentives?”
“Feeding people is always a popular way to get butts in chairs.”
“I expect we can get people to show up either way.”
“Then we’ll save that for when we have a head count to see if it’s within the budget. What is the budget?”
“Budget?
” When he’d concocted this plan, he hadn’t thought that far ahead.
“My skills aren’t the only expense of a marketing campaign.”
Maybe it’s a good thing she decided to do this pro bono. “I’d have to do some figuring.”
“This isn’t a big city, so the big ticket items like TV spots are unnecessary and wouldn’t be hitting our target audience anyway. We’ll focus on guerrilla marking and low budget, grassroots tactics.” She made more notes, this time on one of the larger pads.
“Guerrilla marketing? Do I need to pick up some greasepaint and a ghillie suit?”
“Guerrilla marketing focuses on tactics outside the traditional realm—thinking outside the box instead of focusing on mass marketing through traditional media. Ideally we’d have a much longer period of time to build something, but since we don’t, it’s vital that we define our target audience, figure out who the best local influencers are—that’s where I hope to loop in the local business owners—and get them to help spread the word. This is a small town. Everybody knows everybody else, and gossip is the currency of the day. Our goal is to get that working to our advantage to get a Shop Local campaign off the ground.”
He blinked at her, trying to process everything she’d said. “Wow. That’s…I don’t know. A bit more elaborate than I was expecting.”
“That’s not even a full basic prospectus. What exactly did you think you were asking me to do?”
He’d been trying to give her a reason to stay that she could justify without getting into the murky issue of their relationship. The relationship she’d just broken off. “I didn’t look much beyond the fact that you were an ally. After the City Council meeting tonight, those were in pretty short supply.”
Cam saw her reach toward him, as if to lay her hand over his, then stop. “Well, I am that. I love Wishful. I always have. If I can do something to preserve it, I absolutely will. But we have to have a plan for that. I’ll do some research, see if there happens to be some kind of smoking gun of bad press on GrandGoods, but chances are there won’t be. We need to be prepared to give the town an alternative.”
“An alternative?”
“Part of why GrandGoods is going to be so appealing is because it’s something different from the status quo. If they have no other options, people will make the shitty choice just because it’s there.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of. Burgess—the City Planner—has always had this tendency to over-emphasize industrial recruiting. I understand that. It’s the loss of industry that got us into this financial state to start with, but in all of his efforts to woo companies into coming here, he pays almost no attention to improving the quality of life in the community. Prosperous small town economies are built on the foundation of strong communities. We’ve lost so much in the last decade, and part of that is community spirit. But we only have two weeks. I have no idea what we could do in that span to remind people of that, let alone give them a true economic alternative. We have virtually no resources, little support. And as much as I believe you are Wonder Woman, I don’t know if even you can pull this off.”
“Have a little faith, Cam, and people might surprise you.”
“I’ll do my best.” But he was afraid faith, like allies, was in very short supply.
~*~
The streets of downtown Wishful were all but empty, shrouded in winter quiet. In another hour or so, the get to school and work hustle would begin, and businesses would open for another day. For now, it was just Cam and the silence of the green, exactly as he liked it. Even in the winter, it felt like a postcard of his own little slice of paradise. He’d fight tooth and nail to keep it that way.
Wanting to stretch his legs, he parked across the green and walked the couple of blocks to his destination. With the nursery being somewhat out from town, he made it a point to drive in and patronize other local businesses at least once most days. He considered it good for the local economy and part of his job as a City Councilman to be visible and social—connected to his constituents. As he was bound for City Hall, he set his sights on The Daily Grind and a caffeinated form of olive branch to hopefully smooth his way.