Bustos tells WGIL that Bishop Hill found a great way to target a niche market to support their local businesses.
“Bishop Hill has done a terrific job of niche-ing this town as an attraction for tourists,” says Bustos. “Galena, Illinois was just written up in the international magazine called ‘The Economist’ as a town that has been able to survive because of tourism, and you look at a town like Bishop Hill where the population is about 100 people and how do you thrive when you’ve got 100 people in town? You’ve got to find your niche, and they’ve done that here.”
Bishop Hill is a colony originally founded in the 19th century by Swedish Immigrants and is listed as a National Landmark Village.
Bustos has been touring rural areas around the 17th Congressional District in support of local businesses.