The decision by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and the Vicksburg Main Street Board of Directors to hire a retail consultant to improve and retain retail businesses in Vicksburg is a sound idea.

When people and communities speak of economic development, the discussion usually turns to industries like manufacturing plants and distribution centers like those run by Walmart that are scattered across the state and the South. Often overlooked is a community’s retail base. The stores, shops and service providers that are patronized daily by local and area residents who purchase goods and pay sales tax, part of which goes to cities and provides the largest share of revenue to operate city services.

A strong retail market not only attracts people from outside the community, it attracts businesses and industries operating in the city and on the fringes of the city limits which look to retail shops for items like stationery and office supplies. It also provides jobs for residents.

In the past few years, Vicksburg officials have made some strides in bringing retail businesses here, but the effort hasn’t been enough, and it has been unable to keep other businesses, as evidenced by the vacant storefronts that dot the area.

That’s what makes hiring a consultant like Retail Coach a valuable investment. There are times when an outsider is needed to look at our overall effort and find the nuances city officials and groups like the Chamber of Commerce miss, not because they’re lazy or ineffective, but because they may have developed tunnel vision — a situation where people or organizations tend to focus on one specific thing and miss the obvious things that are just on the outside.

The expertise of the Retail Coach’s consultants and research workers can take a good look at our area and market from a different perspective and pick up those things that are commonly missed. They can see if our strengths are really what we thought they are or if our weaknesses are as severe as we think.

What we’re looking at is a long-term investment in our city’s future.

As South Ward Alderman Willis Thompson pointed out earlier this month when the city hired Retail Coach, “Economic development is important, and retaining retail stores and an assessment of what we have and how to bring in new business is a good way to get better. I see this as a proactive move and appreciate the opportunity to look at our strengths and weaknesses.”