Mississippi
This record store wants to prove that downtown Jackson is a destination
While national retail sales have remained fairly strong, local economies can vary based on many factors, like population. That’s a major concerns for Phillip Rollins, owner of OffBeat, a comic and record store in downtown Jackson, Mississippi. “What we’re dealing with now is a lot of shrinkage in the population,” he said. “And that’s probably playing a big effect in our business.”
The state capital is the fastest-shrinking city of its size in the country and has dealt with a number of infrastructure issues, including a breakdown last year that left residents without water for weeks.
The city recently received $115 million from the Joe Biden administration to fix its water system, but retailers like Rollins are also making a pitch to attract visitors. He recently participated in an event called 601JXN, which aimed to bring people downtown.
“We’re trying to, like, break conceptions of there’s nothing to do here,” Rollins said. “There’s always something to do here. People just don’t know how to find it.”
To hear Rollins’ story, use the media player above.
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