by Debra Drescher, Texas Main Street State Coordinator
Since some of us on the Texas Main Street staff spend a good amount of our time in your communities, we thought it might be fun (and perhaps also informative) to occasionally report on our travels, spotlighting things we see or learn about that might also be helpful to someone else. The intent was to see your downtown through the lens of our ‘kinda independent outsider eyes’ (not part of your community, but also not completely removed from it either). The intent is not to exhaustingly cover a visit or a particular topic, but to just give a quick glimpse into something that struck us. So, here is the first occasional Main Street Travels segment. This one is about the people with a vision that make Main Street communities so special.
Right before Christmas, I spent some time in two very different (and VERY far from each other) Main Street cities. KINSGVILLE, just southwest of Corpus Christi, with a population of about 26,000 and home to the King Ranch, a very important part of Texas history. Kingsville was one of the earliest Main Street cities in 1982 and then, after a 26-year absence, was recertified in 2011. The reason for my visit was to conduct an organizational planning retreat for the Main Street board during an opportune time when downtown is being increasingly prioritized by city leadership and significant funding is being made available for its physical improvement. Having just finished its first five-year phase in Main Street, the program is now operating at a level of ability to where they will be able to support and drive the downtown focus forward. To show evidence of that interest, the new city manager, Jesus Garza (formally an assistant city manager in San Antonio), and Tom Ginter, head of the Planning and Development Services Department, were active participants in the retreat.
There were several non-board members present as well, one which Main Street Director Cynthia Martin had invited. Cynthia had worked with this woman, Michelle, to help her and her daughter connect with the resources – such as business plan development -- they needed to start up a coffee shop downtown. Not wanting to have a commercial kitchen, they’ve also connected with a baker from the Farmer’s Marketwho doesn’t have the capacity for her own bricks-and-mortar presence downtown, but could manage pairing with the coffee shop owners for baked goods.
At the end of the meeting, Michelle discovered that there was a vacancy on the Main Street board and asked if it would be possible for her to fill it! (She got sucked into Main Street like so many of us do!) The answer was YES!
The coffee shop project hasn’t started yet, but a tour of the building was offered, with a cautionary word that it was a real mess! (It was). It was then discovered that the property was Texas Main Street’s First Lady’s building rendered when First Lady Anita Perry did the traditional First Lady’s tour there for us in 2011! It is actually quite more common that you might think for a long time to pass before projects on which renderings or consultations had been done by TMSP design staff to happen. It’s sure exciting when it does! It is also so exciting to connect with a new business owner that can see their dream out there in front of them despite whatever the existing conditions might be. I’ve shared some images below and I’ll be following Michelle and her daughter’s progress with great interest! I’ve already secured my invitation to the grand opening!
Future coffee shop location
Looking forward to the day when the 2011 First Lady’s building in Kingsville becomes downtown’s newest coffee shop!
Up the next day was a site visit for training and planning with the LEVELLAND Main Street Program. Levelland, just west of Lubbock with a population of about 14,000, became a Main Street city in 1998. This was one of the first trainings I’ve done where we’ve started to really give wings to the new Community Transformation Strategy Refresh model for the Four Point Approach™. It was a short visit but we got some good work done. It’s interesting to watch Main Street managers at work, too. Missy Passmore set the tone for the meeting before anyone even got there with her “Training Zone” theme (see below). Barbara Pinner is the new mayor in Levelland, and a strong Main Street supporter. She participated in the whole session – and even stayed after to help clean up! Longtime City Manager Rick Osburn also stopped in.
Levelland Main Street staff, board and supporters
Afterwards, I got a tour of the Wallace Theater that is going to be given a new lease on life if everything goes according to Alycyn Keeling’s plan. Her father George has owned the theater for the past decade. Alycyn has some sound fundraising and project experience working for presidential libraries and she’s come home with a vision of restoring and reopening the theater for the community. (There is no operating theater in Levelland). She’s thinking through things one at a time – taking stock of what she’s got; what she needs and how to get it; phasing the physical parts of the project so that the theatre can be used a little at a time as work progresses on the other parts; creating a vibe and passion for the property in the community etc. For instance, she’s gotten the still relatively intact lobby in use as an art gallery and small special events space and she’s got a local radio show being regularly recorded there. The upstairs has been redone and is being used for her offices and she’s got an intern helping out as well. It can also be used for special events. Several special events have already been held there. All the while, she’s continually working on fundraising.
The Wallace Theater The lobby can be used for special events and as an art gallery now.
The Wallace Theater is going to be a huge project, but Alycyn Keeling has a dream!
Alycyn and Missy
Alycyn would love to hear from those of you who have either been through this kind of project or can connect her to the theater managers in your Main Street districts where a theater restoration has occurred. Contact Levelland Main Street manager, Missy Passmore (mpassmore@levelland.com)