DALTON, Ga. — Alex Stall is the new face at the Dalton-Whitfield County Joint Development Authority, and he has a big task: Bring more retail business to a community that sees strong links between retailers and higher-earning, educated residents.
“We want everyone who works in Dalton to live in Dalton,” said Stall, on the job since July, “but particularly executives and young professionals, who often opt to live in Chattanooga or Cartersville [Ga.] and commute to Dalton.”
In his efforts, Stall will pore over sales tax and retail data showing what products Whitfield residents most often buy outside the community. That data, when presented to retailers, can convince stores that there is an appetite for their goods or services, Stall said.
The most recent such data, prepared in a report by the consulting firm Electric Cities of Georgia, identifies nearly $8 million worth of goods purchased outside the community over the last year. Retailers refer to such figures as “leakage,” Stall said.
The biggest chunk of leakage comes from furniture sales, which totals about $1.6 million. But residents also drove outside the city’s retail center for sporting goods, music, books and lawn and garden supplies, according to the report.