‘It just needs to be revitalized’: Small business owner talks about growing Downtown St. Joseph
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV)-- Dylan Leeson, a St. Joseph resident, didn’t originally set out to get into media or community promotion. Back in October, he and his partner launched a small business focused on house flipping and handyman services.
As Leeson and his partner got more involved with other local business owners, something started to stand out. There were events happening all over and plenty of small businesses trying to grow, but not enough community traction.
His wife, Jennifer, already had a bit of experience using AI tools, but Leeson was coming in fresh.
"One day I decided to sit down and I was like, 'Oh this isn’t something that could just make college paper,' it can create anything,” Leeson said.
After he started digging into his research, he came across Launch Pad Ace—and pretty quickly, he knew he wanted to bring his A-game. Although he’d only been working on the idea for about two or three months.
From there, he began brainstorming ways the app could actually make a difference in St. Joseph. His wife even jumped in with an idea: why not help small businesses get more visibility in local markets?
His app is called Downtown Vibes and one of the app’s key features—an events page where businesses can post what’s happening. Users can browse events within a 25-mile radius, which keeps things local and relevant.
"That way from you open up an app instead of looking at Facebook and trying to see things near me and you come across something that is far away, you are probably not going to go to that, you will go to the flea market that’s only two miles away,” Leeson said.
He didn’t come from a strong coding background either. He only knew a few basic terminal commands—mostly from gaming. But once he got into it, he realized that learning the fundamentals opens the door to a lot more.
He said once you get the basics down, it’s not nearly as intimidating as it seems.
“The world is your oyster. I am currently working on a math game right now for kids because I used to play Math Blasters as a kid. We are given a tool to create these. So, if you have an idea you can create it,” Leeson said.
He’s proud of the app’s recent growth in users and is now focused on getting more local businesses involved.
To help with that, they’re planning to roll out a “founder’s pin” specifically for St. Joseph. It won’t have all the features of the paid subscription, but it will give businesses a chance to get on the map. He said the offer will be limited to about the first 20 to 30 businesses that reach out.
“I will go over and help them set it up. This is a two-way street. You guys can’t find deals if there are no stores on my app and my app can’t show you deals if there are no stores on there,” Leeson said.
He said his top priority is bringing the community together and supporting local businesses so St. Joseph can grow—not just economically, but socially too.
According to Leeson, there’s already plenty to do around town. The real challenge isn’t a lack of events or opportunities—it’s figuring out how to get that information in front of people.
“They don’t know how to cut through the noise and that’s my goal of helping out the people and this town,” Leeson added.
Leeson wrapped up the interview by pointing out how much easier it is now to find local food trucks. Vendors can update their location with just a single tap, making it simple to keep customers in the loop.
For users, he said turning on notifications makes a big difference—as they will get alerts about flash sales and real-time updates, so one can always know what’s happening around them.
