After getting acclimated to my new position as Executive Director for LaBelle Downtown Revitalization Corporation (LDRC) this past August, I was thrilled to discover that posting on Facebook was one of my job duties. Since there had been a transition in the Executive Director position, Facebook and our other social media outlets did not get the attention that was needed. I was ready to take on the challenge of drawing eyes to Downtown Labelle. We received tons of hits when I posted that our local honey store, Harold P. Curtis Honey Co., remodeled their floor. Soon, the amount of views that we received became a fun obsession. I tried other posts covering happenings in town and showcased other businesses but just could not get the audience we were looking for. Our maximum number reached was about 300.

The board members and I have heard all the advice about finding that niche…that one thing that no one else has but we were at a loss as to what that was for us and our little town of LaBelle. As the new girl on the block, I wanted to get to know the board members better. We socialized and soon discovered that we were all dog lovers. We all shared photos and funny tales of our four-legged “kids.” Our President, Keitha Daniels, suggested that I make my dachshund, Fritz, our mascot. We knew we were on to something. That is the one thing that no other downtown has—an adorable wiener dog named Fritz bursting with personality! 

I dove right into this project because who wouldn’t want to take their dog to work with them?! I immediately created a “dog tag” with our LDRC logo and hooked it to his collar. I snapped a photo introducing him and received 1,133 views. Jackpot! We’d gotten people’s attention. Now, it was time to use this new-found attention and direct it downtown. That first opportunity came when we were vetting rendering opinions for our park. Fritz and I traveled to the park in advance and took some photographs. We used those to announce that we were having a public meeting. That post received 817 views. He even attended the meeting at the park so folks could see him in person and get to know him. To know him is to love him, after all.

His face was starting to become familiar to people at this point, so I decided to use him to get foot traffic to our downtown businesses. I organized opportunities with business by first going in personally and discussing what I wanted to do in order to make sure that it was okay to bring in Fritz. People have fears of dogs and allergies so I never go into an establishment without consulting the employees. One of my first visits was to our local Davidson’s Dry Cleaner. I explained that I wanted to promote their business by using my dog. Thankfully, the owner was very receptive to the idea. I posted a thought bubble about his struggle to keep his dog hair off his family’s clothes. It brought in a few chuckles and about 1000 views. 

LDRC hosts a free street concert once a month called Friday on Fort Thompson. The board and I agreed that we should bring Fritz to this event so he could mingle. There we discovered Fritz was quite popular and had fans! While walking around with him, we heard people calling his name and asking us to come over and say hello. So, now they knew him and us. People associate the cute dachshund trotting around town with LaBelle Downtown Revitalization Corporation. He brings a sense of fun that is being linked to us.  On the rare occasion that Fritz is not in attendance for an event, we are questioned about why he is not with us. We host a rib and chili fest in January called Smoke Under the Oaks. Several people asked why he was not there and we let them in on the secret that he is a not the angel he pretends to be and will take all the ribs for himself. News like that makes him even more likable because they can relate him to their own pets’ personalities.

Fritz has fans which means we have fans which means we found our niche! He even got the tagline #lowdowndowntown because he is so low to the ground and folks know he will announce what is happening downtown. LaBelle Downtown Revitalization Corporation has been approached by downtown businesses asking us to bring in Fritz to promote their special offers. All of our board members are told on a regular basis that Fritz’s appearance on social media is really enjoyed and anticipated. Our local barber in town, Rick Pope from Rick’s Barber Shop, claims that Fritz is the most popular post when he logs onto his Instagram account.

Our Vice President, Sherrie Easterly, came up with the idea of having Fritz’s very own Valentine’s Day Kissing Booth as a fundraiser at our February 3rd Friday on Fort Thompson event. Fritz told his audience about a week out that he was going to be there and would only charge $1 to pucker up. People lined up to let him kiss them and donate to LDRC! We ended up collecting $42 just from his kisses. We took the opportunity to promote our pet groomer by saying that Fritz went to Head to Paw Pet Grooming to prepare for his big night. We feel it is important to tie what our community has to offer into his appearances. Fritz has made his way into the hearts of the residents of LaBelle, Florida, and helped our Main Street Community find a way to make what we do more noticeable. 

Fritz continues to bring in the most views on our Facebook page. If you would like to follow Fritz, you can find him at www.downtownlabelle.com, on our Facebook page, @downtownlabelle on Twitter, and labelledowntown on Instagram.

Kelly Boone is the Executive Director for LaBelle Downtown Revitalization Corporation. She has lived in LaBelle since 2005 with her family and loves raising her twin daughters in this loving, supportive community.