By Dan Keyport

Two shoe salesmen were sent by their firm to a remote island of Indonesia and asked to determine if there was a market there for their product. The first glumly reported back that there was no hope of ever selling shoes in this area, because no one even wore shoes. The second salesman excitedly reported that this was the ideal market, because everyone was a prospect!

The remote island of Downtown Chaska has developed a reputation as bad luck for restaurants. This is unfortunate, because Chaska really is an ideal market to open a new restaurant. Here is why.

First, the demographics of this area are good and getting better for casual and upscale dining. Chaska has a diverse, growing and generally prosperous population base. The completion of Highway 212 is accelerating growth in this area, making Chaska a great place to locate a family or a business. This trend has not been obvious during the recent down economy, but as things turn around, Chaska will once again become a hotbed of business and residential development.

Second, Chaska has a strong, supportive city government and an active, engaged downtown business community. The City Council recently initiated a Downtown Revitalization Project by hiring a consultant to develop a long-range plan for making downtown a great place to live and do business.

The Chaska Downtown Business Council (part of the SouthWest Metro Chamber of Commerce) just released its Historic Downtown Revitalization Goals, which has been in development for two years. This document identifies revitalization priorities and recommends specific steps to help create a downtown business district that reflects and preserves our small-town atmosphere, unique character and values.

A committed and talented group of people in city government and in the downtown business community are hard at work making downtown Chaska a great place to live, work and shop.

This support is also evidenced by events such as River City Days, Taste of Chaska, Friday night concerts in the park, the annual Volunteer Fire Department Ice Fishing Contest, and many, many other community events. People come together in downtown Chaska year around.

And Chaskans do eat out. But right now they are driving to Waconia, Chanhassen, Excelsior, Shakopee, Eden Prairie or downtown Minneapolis to do it. Restaurants on par with what these cities offer would benefit from all this activity, and have the advantage of being close to home in a growing community. Finally, the people of Chaska love supporting local businesses. As a downtown retailer, I see evidence of this every day. Chaskans understand that local businesses have employees and owners who live in the community and support it by donating, volunteering and participating in various aspects of community life.

The restaurant business is a tough business. Even in the best of times, many don’t survive. But a restaurant that executes well and is clear about its value proposition will find a steady and loyal customer base in the remote island of downtown Chaska.

Dan Keyport is the owner of Dolce Vita Wine Shop and a member of the Chaska Downtown Business Council.