Valley Junction has been a shopping destination for more than 100 years. But the growth of newer retail spots in Greater Des Moines means the historic district must work harder to maintain its vibrancy.

“Our retail climate is about like the retail climate everywhere right now,” said Dana Zimmerman, president of the board of directors of the Historic Valley Junction Foundation and owner of Fifth Street Finds. “There are so many more businesses now going after the same piece of the pie, and there’s only so much pie to be had.”

Leading the charge for Valley Junction is Jim Miller, who became the executive director of the Historic Valley Junction Foundation earlier this month replacing Jo Berry, who resigned due to health reasons.

Miller is the third director the foundation has had in the past eight months. He previously worked in Cedar Rapids as the director of a retail incubator that recruited businesses to downtown. Before that, he was the marketing director for a non-profit organization, and he owned a theatrical shop for 10 years.

Miller said Valley Junction’s goal is not to model itself after trendy shopping areas such as West Glen or the East Village, but to build on its own strengths.

“Some people see Valley Junction as antique stores, some see it as art galleries and some see it as a place to come drink beer,” Miller said. “All three of those are probably accurate to a certain extent, but we need to look at how we pull all those things together to bring more people to the area.”

Valley Junction will have some help from the city of West Des Moines as it works to “bump up our look a little bit,” Miller said. Starting this fall and continuing into 2008, the city will install new way-finding signs and streetscaping around Valley Junction to make it stand out as a special district. An archway will also be built at the intersection of Fifth Street and Railroad Avenue.

Miller said the archway and the other investments West Des Moines is making demonstrate the city’s commitment to its downtown area.

“I really sense that the city respects Valley Junction and its history,” Miller said. “The archway they will build looks impressive from the drawings. It will be a very modern piece of architecture that incorporates the railroad theme into the metalwork.”

One of Miller’s plans is to evaluate Valley Junction’s many events to see which ones are working and which ones need to be improved or eliminated. But defining goals for Valley Junction can be a challenge because there are many stakeholders who must weigh in on changes, Miller said.

“I owned a business myself, and I understand that many small business owners are small business owners for a reason,” Miller said. “Most of them are very independent and want to do their own thing. I won’t dismiss anyone’s concerns, but I understand that I may not be able to give every business owner what they want, because I’m trying to look out for 100-plus businesses.”

Betty Hill Swander, owner of the Theatrical Shop, said she thinks the foundation has coped well through its leadership changes during the past year. She expects Miller to be a strong leader because of his listening skills and his understanding of small business owners and non-profit organizations.

Change is something Hill Swander has come to expect in Valley Junction. During the 36 years she has owned her business, numerous stores have opened and closed around her. From her experience, the ebb and flow is good. Miller agrees.

“Businesses come and go, but the vacancy rate remains very low down here,” Miller said. “When you have new businesses, it brings in a new clientele, and once those people come down here, they’re more likely to visit some of our other shops.”

Hill Swander says Valley Junction has been a business incubator in some respects because its retail space remains affordable compared to other shopping areas. She owns 19 buildings in the district.

“Down here, the American dream of starting your own business is alive, and because the rents are low, you can afford to take a business a little further,” she said. “Being an incubator for new businesses has allowed us to have unique shops.”

A few new stores are expected to open in Valley Junction next month, including Extreme Nitelife, a women’s clothing store that will sell clubwear, shoes, jewelry and exotic dancewear. Sisters Abagail Elwell, Kelly Trogdon and Angela Avery will operate the store. After looking at about 100 possible locations in Greater Des Moines, Elwell said they chose Valley Junction because the rent was affordable and they could decorate the space to suit their needs

“We looked at a lot of places, but we really liked this location and the fact that we could paint and install carpet that fits with our theme,” Elwell said. “Our walls will be bright colors with glitter, and we have a zebra-striped rug we’re putting in. We couldn’t have done this anywhere else.”

But while Elwell and her sisters have been getting their business ready to open, another prominent tenant recently moved out. After nine years in Valley Junction, the owners of A Touch of Italy decided to move the store to West Glen. Paolo Bartesaghi, who owns the store with Mark Pritchard, said closing their original store was a hard decision to make.

“Valley Junction was a wonderful area for us, but we didn’t see our business evolving if we stayed there,” Bartesaghi said.

Last fall, Bartesaghi and Pritchard opened two new stores in Des Moines’ East Village, Accenti and Arte Gallery. Both those stores are doing well, Bartesaghi said.

“Being a two-person ownership, we cannot afford to have four stores open in the Des Moines area,” he said. “We saw a lot of energy and excitement in the West Glen area, along with other stores that complemented our products. We’re really sorry to move, but we saw an opportunity to grow in West Glen, where our clients are.”

But Miller is optimistic that retail activity in Valley Junction is on an upswing, and that its potential won’t be limited by successes in other parts of the city.

“Yes, retail is competitive, but as I look at the East Village or West Glen, I see that we’re all trying to do the same thing,” he said. “We’re all trying to bring in tourists and get people that live here to come and spend money. Maybe it’s because I’m still new and naïve, but I think you can do more than one. Looking at the tourist end of it doesn’t mean that a tourist bus is just going to stop here or just stop at Jordan Creek [Town Center].”