April 25, 2018
This is our last non bicycling day of the trip and the weather is great. With most of the group heading off to do some kayaking and snorkeling, I decided to not chance my fondness for motion sickness given the choppy surf. Instead, going against common wisdom, I decided to go for a bicycle ride. My destination was close by in the town of Port St. Joe.
If you have been following my blog you may remember my missive on the decline of small towns across the continent. Today I witnessed a rebirth. The town of Port St. Joe was once a fishing and logging village beset by the typical problems of both. Hurricanes, storms and oil spills periodically devastate local fisheries and logging is becoming ever more mechanized. Enter tourism. The town has redesigned itself into a tourism friendly place that is also very livable for local folks. The key seems to be local ownership, restrictions on mega-structures and the positive and friendly spirit of the population.
Aside from a charming main street the community has nearly everything a tourist or local resident could want. A supermarket, drugstore, lawyer’s office, and health care as well as restaurants and stores offering local needs and touristy stuff. Sure, there is a McDonalds and a Burger King on the main route but that does not seem to have diminished the demand for the local fare. It also may help that Port St. Joe is not in an area that Walmart has chosen to invade just yet. Nearly every business is locally owned and when you walk in the front door, it is likely the owner him or herself that greets you. There are a couple of vacant storefronts but guessing by the condition of the windows the vacancy is only for the short term. There could be a lesson here for other communities. Keep it local, keep it neat and inviting, keep it small and don’t be afraid to reinvent yourself. Some civic dollars may be involved but I suspect those dollars will be paid back many times over.
An interesting sidelight to the day: A film was being professionally shot in front of the town’s restored movie theater. I asked the local sheriff what was going on and he told me that recently the Brother’s Osborne performed a concert in their town and from that experience created their latest album titled, Port St. Joe. Now they are back to film the music video. It goes to show the if you build it, they will come.
St. Joe looks like a beautiful place and it’s great to read a favourable comparison to all the small towns on the decline. I can see Eganville getting the benefit of all your research! Glad you’re experiencing some warm sunny weather on the other coast.