Clearwater Designer Co-Op Aims to Improve Downtown Economy Through Art and Fashion

The citizens of a Community Redevelopment Area are stepping up to hasten the revitalization of their community through a proven "economic stimulus" – art and culture.

In a 2008 study on the economic impact of arts in the state of Florida, it was found that the non-profit arts and culture industry generated $3.1 billion in economic activity. Thereby, the Clearwater Designer Co-Op will produce Fashion and Arts Week in Downtown Clearwater February 3rd - 6th, 2011 with the purpose of using arts to improve the economic vitality of the area.

Downtown Clearwater was named part of a Community Redevelopment Area (CRA), and while major improvements to the area have been made, the members of the Clearwater Designer Co-Op see it as their civic duty to help the City in the "revitalization, rehabilitation and stabilization" of the district. The Clearwater Designer Co-Op is a group of professionals and volunteers united with the goal of helping the City promote the Cleveland Street District through fashion, arts and cultural activities.

The Clearwater Designer Co-Op recognizes the power of the arts to uplift not only individuals, but societies, and thus economies. Cultural activities and structures bring in tourism, give an area a distinct flavor, and improve quality of life.

Just how much did the arts improve the state of Florida in 2008?
• 88,236 full time equivalent jobs
• $2.057 billion in resident household income
• $196 million in local government revenue
• $249 million in state government revenue

In a recent study done by the City of Sarasota (a city which Clearwater has the potential to mirror), the city attracts 7 million out of state "cultural" tourists who spend $4.5 billion annually. Cultural tourism ads $9.3 billion to the state's gross regional product, and creates 103,713 full-time equivalent jobs with a payroll of $2.6 billion.

As Robert L. Lynch, the president and CEO of Americans for the Arts, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the arts in America, put it, "The arts inspire us, sooth us, provoke us, involve us, and connect us. But they also create jobs and contribute to the economy."

Fashion and Arts Week activities will include a fashion show, sample sale, fine art showings, music, ballet, film screenings, and more and will take place in Downtown Clearwater February 3rd - 6th.

About Fashion and Arts Week:
Fashion and Arts Week is put on by the Clearwater Designer Co-Op with the goal to stimulate the economy of Downtown Clearwater with an injection of fashion, art and culture, and to encourage more retailers to open stores downtown, as well as attract future residents. More information on Fashion and Arts Week can be found at fashionandartsweek.posterous.com.
 
About the Clearwater Designer Co-Op:
The Clearwater Designer Co-Op is comprised of professionals and volunteers united with the purpose of helping the City promote the Cleveland Street District by spotlighting it with a series of fashion related and cultural events. More information on the Clearwater Designer Co-Op can be found at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Clearwater-FL/Clearwater-Designer-Co-Op/129076394328