When I started my business eighteen years ago, a good friend of mine suggested to me that I should put together a small city guide. He said to me, “You know people all over town. You should put together something for them. It’ll be good for the town and good for your new business…” So, I created Flagstaff Central.
My first thought was not about money, but about what I wanted it to be for our town. I decided that everything on it would be free. So, I offered “free listings” to any local business or organization. Then, over the years, I added an online calendar with event listings. I also added a news section that eventually became a compilation of Flagstaff Blogs. Pretty much, anytime someone local had anything they wanted on the site, that I could easily do and was easy to maintain, I put it on the site. And, it grew and grew and grew…
The site was never meant to be about making money. My company earns our income through website design and will continue to hopefully do so for many years to come. The philosophy of the site was all about providing good information about Flagstaff – the place I’ve called home for the past 30 years. I love this place. I love the people. I love the feel of Flagstaff. The city guide was my way of showing this love by giving back to my community.
After so many years of growth, the site outgrew me. It got so big that I was unable to maintain it by myself (even with a little help from my kids who maintained the events calendar for me). I’ve been struggling for the past few years to keep the information current and the site itself fell behind the times. I have tried many times to restart it, redesign it into something new, but the project is so big that I have now realized that it is time to close it.
In some ways, I’m saddened by its closure. It’s been a part of me and our community for so long. But, in other ways, I feel relieved because it will give me the freedom to pursue other adventures in serving my community. For those that know me and the types of projects I do around the area, you know that you haven’t heard the last of me.
So, I’d like to Thank Flagstaff for allowing me to be such an integral part of the place I call home. My city guide allowed me to get to know the people here and the people traveling here in ways that I never thought possible. I will cherish the years of working on what I called, “Flagstaff Central – Flagstaff’s Community Information Source!”
Thank You!
Joe Bodin
Flagstaff Central.com, Inc.