Marin business districts face struggle to gain, retain trust of merchants
by Janis Mara
Nearly half the membership of Novato’s business improvement district voted to defund it last fall, and the controversy has prompted the question: Are such districts helping small businesses stay afloat?
Whether a BID can help small businesses stay alive depends on the situation, experts said.
“Generally speaking, BIDs are good things if merchants are struggling to market themselves,” said Robert Eyler, head of the Marin Economic Forum and a professor of economics at Sonoma State University.
“Novato and San Rafael (business improvement districts) are doing a good job,” Eyler said.
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