COEUR D’ALENE — A new study shows Coeur d’Alene has earned recognition as the 14th best small U.S. metro area for small business success.
Co-working Cafe analyzed 179 small cities across the United States to determine the rankings. The study measured Coeur d’Alene’s small businesses and restaurants in several categories, with the most significant finding showing a 90.2 % survival rate for local small businesses and restaurants this year.
The Coeur d’Alene Downtown Association works to keep downtown vacancy rates low. In the coming months, only two spots will remain empty without businesses, according to the association.
Beth Rich, owner of Mix It Up Home and Mix It Up Gift, has operated her two locations in the area for eight years. She says she wasn’t surprised by the positive ranking, crediting the strong community support from both locals and visitors who return to the area.
“If you made a heart of Coeur d’Alene…. half of that heart is the people that live here that are really part of the core of the relationships that we have… And the other half of it are the people who come from out of town, and it comes together and it creates something really, really special,” Rich said.
The study also highlighted Coeur d’Alene’s economic growth. The city’s GDP grew by 53.9% between 2019 and 2023, marking the second-highest growth rate among small cities nationwide.
The Coeur d’Alene Downtown Association noted they witnessed this growth, reporting that sales for small businesses increased substantially during the pandemic and continued improving afterward.
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