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According to the Iowa Small Business Development Center, there are 266,382 small businesses employing 641,288 people in Iowa, and nearly 50% of all workers in the state are employed by a small business. Of those small businesses, only one-tenth are retail; however, retail has an outsized impact on community character and quality of life.

Communities understand that supporting local retail is key to becoming and remaining economically viable. However, most local small retail business owners are so busy with the day-to-day details of running a business, they don’t have the time to equip and empower themselves and their employees with key foundational skills and tools. Without this knowledge, businesses stagnate and local economies suffer and decline.

Enter the Iowa Retail Initiative (IRI).

A list of resources to encourage retail health and vitality from city / district scale to individual retail stores.

Iowa State University invites communities to take part in the Iowa Retail Initiative and build the support network that local retail needs to thrive.

Iowa Retail Initiative, administered by ISU Extension and Outreach, is a three-part program designed to strengthen independent retail in Iowa communities. Extension community and economic development specialists provide training and coaching to strengthen the local economy.