Oskaloosa Main Street Hosts Missouri Main Street Delegation
Main Street Director Emily Brown talks with members of Missouri Main Street Wednesday afternoon.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The group from Missouri arrived in Oskaloosa a bit early Wednesday. That allowed spending more time on the good things happening in the downtown district.
Oskaloosa’s newest sitdown dining option, Pizza Den, offered up fresh-baked dessert pizzas, which was followed by a slide show of the initiatives taking place to grow Oskaloosa.
Oskaloosa Main Street Director Emily Brown said the connection with the group from Missouri came from Main Street Iowa.
The group showed great interest in things that Oskaloosa was doing and was curious about how they would be able to implement such programs and events within their communities.
Brown said it felt good to be able to share those things with others and to feel good about the things Oskaloosa is doing.
Those things include The Alley, The Oskaloosa Art Center, downtown living, and the Oskaloosa Downtown Development Group.
Volunteers took the visitors on a tour of the downtown, helping the group take in those aspects of Oskaloosa.
The Alley has provided a space for the community to come together, while the arts are active in many communities. Oskaloosa is fortunate to have their art center in downtown, which helps create community as well.
The work to develop and encourage upper story living in Oskaloosa has been a priority for Main Street for years. The more people living downtown encourages business and others to invest in the downtown.
Currently, in the Main Street District, there are 113 storefronts with 98 businesses, equating to a 12.5% vacancy rate.
There are 181 residents that now live within the downtown Main Street District, which has a taxable value of $10.6 million.
One of those partners that have worked for decades to help preserve the downtown is the Oskaloosa Downtown Development Group. They were formed when what is now known as the Smokey Row building collapsed. They, along with others, funded the stabilization of the building, which is now a social hub for the community. Since then, the Iowa Building, Trolley Place, and the former Swims Building are among the other projects they have been a part of.
Brown also spoke about the market analysis work Oskaloosa Main Street has undertaken to understand what residents want and expect from their downtown area.
Some of the businesses identified during the process were to try and attract a clothing store, restaurant, and furniture and home furnishings. Those have been recent additions to the downtown. Others that are being sought yet include a brewpub, drinking establishment, and a specialty foods market.
The group then departed Oskaloosa on their way to another Iowa Main Street community.
