Bumper Stickers
I’m just back in from Asheville, NC where I learned more about how local organizations there are helping individuals with diverse and often economically challenged backgrounds flesh out business ideas and make independence a reality. One standout program is called Mountain Biz Works and their curriculum, success rate, and model are all impressive. In fact, many of the small businesses that I visited in Asheville were Mountain Biz Works graduates and clients.
Asheville is a city of similar size to Chattanooga that has also struggled from time to time due to the lack of robust anchor industries beyond tourism. One thing in particular struck me while driving around the city. Everyone there seems to have at least one and often more bumper stickers. They serve as unique froms of identification and camaraderie that work to advance community conversations ranging from friendship to food and public policy. Here’s just a sampling… Local Produce- 1,000’s of Miles Fresher, Buy Appalachian, Save Our Slopes, Keep Asheville Weird, Think Globally- Act Neighborly, Do Something- History is made by those who show up…
- Josh McManus
All these bumper billboards and tailgate ideologies got me thinking. I want a bumper sticker on my car that says something about Chattanooga. Of course, I love my “Seen Rock City” sticker with props to Mark and Chuck but what else do we want to say about this city that we call home? Buy Chattanooga? I Choo Choo Choose Chattanooga? I Create Here? You tell us. With your help, CreateHere is going to produce several different bumper stickers that voice a sense of collective ownership and imagination for Chattanooga. We’re adding a bumper sticker question to the survey so make your voice heard. Oh, and once the submissions are in, there will be a week to choose your favorites and award the winning author(s) with bumper-to-bumper fame along with a small token of appreciation. We can't wait to hear what you come up with.