OCEANSIDE — With downtown redevelopment booming, and new plans for marketing beginning to take shape, Kim Kimball was appointed the new MainStreet Oceanside executive director Sept. 15.
New to Oceanside, but not new to business development, Kimball’s experience includes serving as a CEO for the Chamber of Commerce and director of business services for Morro Bay.
Kimball sees a bounty of opportunities in Oceanside with a downtown business district that stretches from historic Coast Highway 101 to the ocean. “Every place I turn I see opportunity,” Kimball said.
Kimball hopes to show downtown businesses the synergy that can be created working together as an area business group with actions such as a cooperative advertising campaign. “Downtown is so ready for a marketing promotion,” Kimball said. Kiosks directing visitors to downtown businesses have already been put in place by MainStreet Oceanside and more are planned.
While her outlook is positive, Kimball also realizes change doesn’t happen overnight. “The opportunities are some of the challenges,” Kimball said.
Kimball sees a big part of her job as educating businesses about group marketing opportunities, and values the Redevelopment Department as a great ally. “We have tools to work with,” Kimball said.
Kimball would like to develop a marketing plan for the downtown area that lets visitors know about Oceanside’s beachfront location, convenient transit hub, history and uniqueness. “It’s about creating an experience,” Kimball said.
Some of the “Oceanside experience” has been created by MainStreet Oceanside in the development of the outdoor Sunset Market, which brings music, vendors and atmosphere to downtown streets Thursday nights, and Beach Services, which allows mobile vendors to sell refreshments on the beach boardwalk. Kimball looks forward to continuing these services and reaching new benchmarks.
On the job for slightly more than a month, Kimball has already found a lot of things that she enjoys about Oceanside, like a morning cup of coffee with a view of the ocean.
“A lot of people come down to the beach to watch the sunset,” Kimball said. “But, people are missing something if they don’t see the sunrise.”
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