Freeport, Maine is north of Portland near the coast and should be another sleepy New England coastal town like Camden or Kennebunk getting by on lobstering and tourism.   But Freeport is different it is a shopping destination.  It is a thriving town with lots of employment and economic growth.  It draws people from hundred of miles around.  I suspect that it is the best known, most visited town in Maine.  Why this town?  Because sixty or so years ago Mr LL Bean decided to open his outdoor retailing store here.  The store has succeeded beyond anybodies wildest dreams and it has made the town a huge success.

Why Freeport not Rockport or Bath?  Why not New Hampshire?  Can other towns influence this kind of development?  City planners and Chambers of Commerce have struggled with this for years.  The question they ask is “How can we attract a company like L.L. Bean?”  The answer is you can’t.  All you can do is have a town where lots of creative people can try lots of creative things and if you are lucky one of them will succeed.  How did Waterbury Vermont get the Ben and Jerry’s factory?  It appears to be luck.  Or if you don’t believe in luck, random chance.

In the words of a saying from Hawaii:  “Planning is overrated.  The un-aimed arrow never misses.”