MUSCATINE, Iowa – It’s a step in the right direction, according to Downtown Action Alliance chairwoman Ann Meeker.

That step is the hiring of a part-time downtown manager — Rachel Horner Brackett, 30, of Muscatine.

Horner Brackett was hired in October and started as the downtown manager on Oct. 20.

“It was really hitting the ground running right away,” Horner Brackett said Tuesday.

Meeker said communication is “critical” for downtown business owners since many can’t leave their stores or close shop for other community events and meetings.

“My goal is to increase the level of communication and organize,” Horner Brackett said. “I’ll be running [Downtown Action Alliance] meetings and serving as a liason.”

Mom, student, manager

Horner Brackett’s new job is being funded through an anonymous organization’s grant, which was matched by the Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine. She works two eight-hour shifts per week, which fits nicely with her schedule as a mom and  student.

Horner Brackett is finishing her Ph.D. at the University of Iowa in cultural anthropology. Her coursework is completed, so she spends much of her time working on her dissertation.

“I actually have a master’s degree in anthropology and community behavioral health,” she said. “Both of those and my Ph.D. is collecting individual stories and putting them together in a way that shows the whole.”

Horner Brackett is originally from

Shannon, Ill., and has lived in Muscatine for three years. Since she beginning as downtown manager, she’s visited almost all of the businesses on Second Street.

“It’s helpful and we need it,” said Tom Savage, owner and operator of Muscatine Books and More, 124 E. Second St.

Savage said he’s met Horner-Brackett several times and hopes she succeeds.

“She’s doing a good job,” he said.

Savage said the idea of a downtown manager has been discussed “several times” but this is the first time someone’s been hired.

A helping hand

“Rachel is a very intelligent person,” Meeker said. “She’s so upbeat and a joy to work with.”

Horner Brackett said she hopes to see how she can assist downtown businesses.

“In this position, I’m looking at the downtown culture; how to take 50 different perspectives and put those together in a way that’s useful for the whole and moving forward,” she said.

Horner Brackett said she doesn’t believe in just passing out surveys as a way of making changes.

“Part of my training is talking to people,” she said of her anthropology experience. “My degree isn’t in marketing but I do hope we can gauge interest in what people want to see [improved].”

Meeker said Horner Brackett’s work can range from helping them with marketing or window displays to tracking down an appropriate point-of-sale system.

“We’re going to ask businesses … what they need to succeed,” Meeker said. “She’ll try to address them the best she can. That’s how her mind works —  people and organization.”

To contact Rachel Horner Brackett with questions or comments, e-mail her at downtownmuscatine@gmail.com