The vacancy rate in Lohne’s downtown could decrease in the coming months: As part of the “New Shops. New Life.” founder program, three new stores will settle in the city center. A fabric shop, a hearing aid specialist, and a tailor shop aim to combat the decline in retail businesses. They are being supported by the city of Lohne.
Simone Töpfel has had a small shop for fabrics and haberdashery on Bakumer Street for seven years, which is tied to an online shop called “Die Zauberfee” (The Magic Fairy). According to her own statement, Töpfel is not well known in Lohne. She now wants to change that. She has been considering whether to expand her shop for some time. “Without the funding program, I definitely wouldn’t have expanded my shop,” she says. The financial risk is simply too great. Töpfel is receiving a total of 10,000 euros through the program.
Töpfel explains that she wants to contribute to reviving the downtown area of Lohne. “Not everyone can just sit back and say, ‘Others will do it,’” says the 54-year-old. She plans to open her expanded store in the downtown area at the beginning of autumn 2022. She doesn’t want to reveal the exact address of the property yet, as the lease has not been signed. Töpfel’s shop expansion will also lead to her hiring employees for the first time.
In early June, a hearing aid specialist is set to open at Neuen Markt.
Töpfel emphasizes that, while expanding her shop is a relatively large risk, she is looking forward to the step with courage and optimism. The city center offers the advantage that her store could benefit from foot traffic.
With 5,000 euros, another new business in the downtown area is being supported. Like the other founders, hearing aid specialists Nicole Kühling and Christian Miersch from Vechta applied for funding from the city of Lohne in late March. They plan to open their business at the former location of the “Cut & Style” hair salon at Neuen Markt 1 on June 4.
The hearing aid specialists already have branches in Vechta and Goldenstedt. The demand for hearing aids has increased significantly in recent years. “We are in a growing market, and we are confident that Lohne will be a successful location for us,” Christian Miersch is quoted as saying in a statement from the city of Lohne.
The fabric store “Reste Truhe” on Linden Street will close on June 30.
Julia Tschikin, already represented in Lohne with her shop “Schneiderei Julia” (Tailoring Julia), took over the “Schneiderei Lorenz” on Küstermeyer Street at the beginning of January. She previously ran a tailoring business in Steinfeld. In recent years, the business hadn’t been doing well, which is why she wants to start fresh in Lohne. “The advantage is that I was able to take over some customers from the old tailoring shop,” says Tschikin. To help offset costs for new equipment, she applied for the founder program and received a subsidy of 3,500 euros.
The question is: Does Lohne need these types of businesses at all?
Anne Nußwaldt, responsible for economic development at the city, says: Yes. Especially the new fabric store is an asset, as “Reste Truhe” on Linden Street will be closing on June 30. The other stores are also important for the downtown area.
According to Nußwaldt, the downtown area is primarily facing an image problem. Many people in Lohne believe the downtown area is dead. The city administration assures that this is not true. There are currently around 20 vacant properties, compared to 61 retailers, 96 service providers, and 26 restaurants in the central area. “The offerings that are there are good,” emphasizes Nußwaldt.
Lohne does not want to accept the poor image of its downtown.
From her perspective, the founder program has been a complete success. She has had more discussions with interested parties in the last 1.5 years than in her entire time in Lohne. “We do not accept the poor image,” says Nußwaldt. When asked what the city is doing to counter the image problem, she points to the founder program. The city is active and, compared to other cities, is doing well. In the long term, the mindset of the people of Lohne about their downtown needs to change. “The downtown area is not bad,” she says.
So far, 14 projects have been supported through the founder program. According to the city of Lohne, 8 of these have already been implemented. Examples mentioned by the city include the “Kleine Kaufhaus” (Small Department Store) of the Catholic Women’s Social Service. Additional projects are expected to be realized in the coming months. This includes the new ice cream parlor “La Piazza” by the Morais family in the pedestrian zone (Market Street 23).
