The Downtown Ithaca Alliance (DIA) and the City of Ithaca have taken a key step toward revitalizing Ithaca’s retail landscape with the completion of a preliminary retail analysis and strategy conducted by MJB Consulting, a national retail planning and real estate consultancy focused on urban and Downtown business districts, based in New York, NY and Berkeley, CA.

“This retail study provides a comprehensive roadmap for strengthening Ithaca’s business districts citywide,” said Mayor Robert Cantelmo. “From Collegetown to the West End, the insights and recommendations recognize that our community’s economic vitality depends on thoughtful, place-based strategies that reflect the character of each district while uniting us through shared values and aspirations. I’m grateful to the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, City staff, and MJB Consulting for their collaborative work, which will help ensure Ithaca remains a dynamic and inclusive place to live, work, and visit.”

Commissioned in 2023, the study focuses on creating a cohesive, citywide retail strategy for Ithaca’s key business districts: Downtown Ithaca, centered on the Commons pedestrian mall; the West State Street corridor; the West End, including the Waterfront; and Collegetown, adjacent to Cornell University. MJB’s work responds to the city’s unique position as a university town with a broader regional trade area of over 100,000 people and a robust tourism draw.

Rather than viewing Ithaca’s market through the traditional lenses of town and gown or local versus out-of-towner, MJB proposed a unifying approach focused on shared psychographics: common lifestyles, values, and aspirations. This shift allowed MJB to identify retail opportunities that resonate with both residents and visitors. Specifically, MJB identified an opportunity to market Ithaca, and Downtown Ithaca in particular, to the “yupster” psychographic. These are well-educated, well-off households that celebrate the artistic and creative lifestyle. This group predominates among both Ithacans and tourists.

Preliminary recommendations

• Curate a Downtown retail mix that focuses on arts and crafts and handmade goods, complemented by synergistic tenants like bookstores, vintage and consignment shops, cafes, eateries, and wine bars.
• Support landlords and brokers with recruitment tools that align with this positioning, including leasing materials that tell Ithaca’s and Downtown Ithaca’s unique story.
• Develop targeted marketing campaigns that position Ithaca as a must-visit regional, and potentially national, destination for arts and artisan culture. Align with the “Ithaca is Gorges” brand.
• Enhance Downtown’s role as a regional hub for the creative ecosystem by fostering collaborations among local makers, galleries, theaters, and other entrepreneurial platforms.

“This strategy taps into what makes Ithaca special and turns our unique assets into economic drivers,” said Nan Rohrer, CEO of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance. “Downtown is more than a shopping district. It is a creative ecosystem. By centering retail recruitment around this core identity, we create a destination that is authentic to locals and visitors, and we define a compelling case for future investors, business owners, and residents.”

Beyond Downtown, MJB emphasized the need for Cornell University, with roughly 27,000 students, to assume a proactive role in revitalizing the Collegetown district as a selling point for prospective faculty, researchers, and students. The firm pointed to successful models at peer institutions like Yale and the University of Pennsylvania. MJB also reframed the West State Street corridor as more than a connector. It has its own psychographic appeal and retail niche that is fragile and in need of a more robust City response.

With Phase I nearing completion, MJB is finalizing its findings and recommendations into a comprehensive written report for release later this fall. The DIA and the City of Ithaca have contracted MJB for Phase II implementation, which will focus on creating leasing materials that reframe the opportunity for prospective tenants and on training an in-house prospector to support local landlords and brokers in attracting businesses that align with the strategy.

The recommendations complement DIA’s ongoing work in placemaking, marketing, and economic development to create and sustain an environment conducive to a thriving retail sector and further investment.

About the Downtown Ithaca Alliance

The Downtown Ithaca Alliance is a State chartered non-profit organization, established in 1997, with the mission to promote and enhance Downtown Ithaca, formally known as the Ithaca Downtown Business Improvement District, as a vibrant and thriving urban center. We support economic development, cultural events, placemaking, small business growth, and community engagement. Our work is driven by a small, passionate team committed to preserving the uniqueness and vitality of Ithaca’s urban core. We envision Downtown Ithaca as a safe and vibrant, inclusive community of diverse people and businesses. A place that is memorable and captivating, where people aspire to return. We work toward a sustainable Downtown Ithaca that fuels the regional economy and the psyche of our City, County, and region. A place where commerce, residential living, and our social community successfully intersect.