Downtown Branson merchants blame the Downtown Branson Mainstreet Association (DBMA) for a history of failed leadership, poor business models and alienation for the parties most interested in Downtown Branson's economic success - the merchants that make a living off downtown Branson's success.
At the top of the list of greatest failures and ludicrous business models that sucked public funds into the trashcan in the "Business Incubator." To some, the model was nice on paper, however the reality tells another story.
The "Business Incubator", a tool promoted by the White River Valley Historical Society's applies a socialist business approach. The government, in the two cases mentioned The WRVHS and the DMBA, purchase a business using tax payer dollars and give shelf space to merchants that otherwise wouldn't take the risk to invest in a business.
The paying merchants don't appreciate it because the limited supply of buyers is split and the business organization that is supposed to be supporting them ends up competing with them.
Eventually, the business's subsidized through the "Socialist Business Incubator Economic Model" are supposed to graduate to the free market model other downtown merchants and American society in general has to compete with.
The general idea is that business owners who are successful in selling merchandise while being subsidized by the state are likely to rent a business in the district later.
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Unfortunately, the model has never graduated a merchant, but this hasn't stopped the utterly corrupt White River Historical Society from peddling the model further, including integrating the poor idea into Proposition A - their recent $90 million tax proposal - disguised as an economic development tax - which does nothing of the sort
