The good and bad on Broadway

One of the biggest contrasts on Broadway in Cape Girardeau is in the 800 block. The Esquire, constructed in 1946, has sat unused for more than 20 years, while Grace Cafe is in a restored brick building originally constructed in 1928. (Fred Lynch) [Click to enlarge]

There are many bright spots along Broadway in Cape Girardeau -- newly renovated buildings, new businesses and stores that have stuck with downtown's main east-west commercial corridor for decades.

There are blight spots as well. They include buildings showing obvious signs of long-term neglect and blocks with more empty storefronts than full ones.

As part of the Downtown Revitalization and Economic Assistance for Missouri, or DREAM Initiative, the city and Old Town Cape are working to uncover the public's view of several areas in the city core, including Broadway. The first steps, a series of focus groups to gauge the views of interested parties and a survey of visitors, are finished. A third survey, mailed out to 3,000 households this week, seeks to gauge the views of randomly selected residents.

The DREAM Initiative is a three-year program that funnels state tax credits and grants to selected cities to support community improvement plans in the core areas of the cities. Cape Girardeau was one of 10 cities selected for the first round of assistance.

The focus group findings have been compiled, and the visitor surveys are being tallied, said Marla Mills, executive director of Old Town Cape. The results of the focus group reinforced several perceptions, both positive and negative, about Broadway and attempted to counter some negative views.

"Broadway is an important part of our district," Mills said. "It has a lot of potential, and it is one of the areas we need to be strategic about."

The focus group study, conducted by Unicom-Arc, a St. Louis-based research and consulting firm, found a belief "that people perceive the area negatively, as 'shady,' 'rough,' or 'not family-friendly.' Many participants said that is not the case, especially on certain parts of Broadway that have been improved in recent years."

When asked whether Broadway was heading in the right direction, the group was mixed, Unicom reported. Some areas are advancing, the group concluded, especially areas near and east of the recently renovated Marquette Hotel and areas west of Pacific Street. "The 400 to 800 blocks of Broadway, according to the participants, have a number of abandoned buildings and buildings that need to be rehabbed," the report states.

The solution for those areas, the focus group told Unicom, is to appeal to college students with bookstores, coffee shops, clothing shops and other options that would draw students from the nearby Southeast Missouri State University campus.

The points made in the report, Mayor Jay Knudtson said, reinforce many of his personal views about Broadway. The section on the south side of Broadway's 500 block was recently named as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. But such designations alone aren't enough to spur the kind of revival some portions of Broadway need, Knudtson said.

"I am extremely concerned about the quality of conditions west of the Marquette," Knudtson said. "In all honesty, a number of people aren't going to like this, but we need to balance some of the emotion to save all these historic buildings with the sheer reality that we have to level some and start over."

One of the biggest contrasts on Broadway is in the 800 block. Grace Cafe, in a restored brick building originally constructed in 1928, sits next to the Esquire Theater, constructed in 1946. The Esquire, owned by Phil Brinson, has sat unused since 1984. The marquee is visibly sagging, and was struck recently by a truck. City inspectors have instructed Brinson to repair it, city manager Doug Leslie said.

Cafe owner Grace Parry said she has sought to be a "destination location" in all three buildings her business has occupied over the years.

Efforts to save buildings -- both the one housing her business and others -- can have a dramatic effect, Parry said. But at times, she noted, those improvements also require destruction. Several storefronts across from her cafe, she said, had a haphazard look before rehabilitation. The bricks and terra cotta roof tiles, she noted, were taken from an adjacent home that was razed.

The result, she said, was not just a face lift but a building theme that added an attractive element to the block.

Competition 'great'

The recommendation that Broadway businesses and building owners focus on drawing students makes sense, Parry said. She, for example, would welcome a Starbucks downtown, even if it is in direct competition.

"That would be great for me," she said. "They spend thousands on advertising, and I could piggyback on that."

Robert and Mary Gentry, who opened The Corner Store late last year at 439 Broadway, said they are glad they chose that location for their small grocery store. While it hasn't quite fulfilled their business plan, Robert Gentry said, it is "an excellent location with very diverse customers, including students, professional workers and homeowners."

A good plan for Broadway will mean a good return for their store, Robert Gentry said. And any plan should seek to draw small businesses and include creative financing packages to support them. Once those pieces are in place, he said, the larger empty storefronts would gain attention from potential tenants.

"Until downtown builds the need for people to come downtown, those are just large spaces," Gentry said.

At Thundergnome, another business that recently opened at 716 Broadway, Roy Foster said he and his partners are six months ahead of their business plan. They entered the business with a plan that, if it succeeded, they would look for a bigger or better space nearby in about a year. Less than two months after opening, that time frame has shrunk, Foster said.

Thundergnome caters to fantasy gamers, providing a space to gather and purchase games and accessories. While the focus group report said parking is a perceived problem rather than a real one, Foster said some customers do complain about the lack of nearby spots.

"Parking will always be an issue on Broadway," he said.

The results from the focus groups, the visitors survey and the resident survey will all be used to guide a plan for Broadway as well as the entire area embraced by the DREAM Initiative, Mills said. Broadway, she said, could be a place to incubate small retail stores in the many smaller storefronts. The key will be to have a realistic plan.

"Maybe it is not great for all kinds of retail," she said. "But making sure it is the right kind of businesses that come to the area. It is not just a place of individual businesses, but pieces that form a puzzle. That is harder than just filling storefronts."

rkeller@semissourian.com

Jason Trickey grabbed a soda Thursday from the cooler of the Corner Grocery Store on Broadway. Owner Robert Gentry said a good plan for Broadway will mean a good return for the store. (Aaron Eisenhauer) [Click to enlarge]

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