Success of downtown's revitalization depends on who you ask

On Saturday, Hale's Fine Jewelry closed its doors after doing business in downtown Cape Girardeau for nearly 50 years. Right on its heels, Hecht's, which opened when Woodrow Wilson was president, will close this Saturday after selling upscale clothing to patrons for 86 years.

On top of that, another downtown staple, Woody's Greek House -- downtown since 1978 -- plans to close down the fraternity and sorority accessory store on Spanish Street at the end of March.

With the opening of the new Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge and other high-profile projects in the works, wasn't downtown Cape Girardeau supposed to be undergoing a renaissance?

It is and it isn't, depending upon who you ask.

"It's too little too late," said Jenny Bell, the manager of Hale's Fine Jewelry at 137 N. Main. "Nobody shops downtown. They go to St. Louis, Memphis, but not here."

And those closings are just a few that join several other businesses that have either closed or relocated from the downtown area in the past year or so, including In the Wine Cellar (closed due to illness of owner), My Daddy's Cheesecake (moved to Route W), Grace Cafe (moved to Broadway) and Corner Cafe (opened and closed in eight months).

It sounds discouraging, but others argue that the businesses closed for reasons other than a downtown location.

"Stores on the west end are closing, too," said Kent Zickfield, owner of Zickfield's Jewelers at 29 N. Main. "I'm as excited at what's going on downtown as I've been in 35 years."

Zickfield pointed to other projects, like a new streetscape plan for Water Street and a new walking trail.

"After the bridge opened up, we saw a surge of traffic," he said. "Every day, the street is just full of people. We've made a living down here for 65 years and we continue to make a living. We were up 25 percent at Christmastime. What more could I ask for?"

'Doubled our business'

Others agree that now is the perfect time to be downtown, including Sherry Yeager, who owns Renaissance, a home decor shop right next door to Hale's.

"We've doubled our business since we moved to this spot," Yeager said. "I've wanted this corner since I was a little girl."

In fact, she and her husband have purchased the Hale's building and plan to use it to double the space for home decor, paintings and other gift items. She hopes to have the new space renovated and opened by July 4.

"We wouldn't want to be anywhere else," she said.

But at least two business owners said they were worried about the viability of downtown, in spite of high-profile projects -- the renovation of the Marquette Hotel, a new federal building and the bridge, all which are expected to bring more people and, theoretically, more business to the downtown.

Bell said Hale's owner Joe Hale decided to close the store that had been started by his parents because of a dwindling customer base, the higher cost of doing business and because shoppers, especially the new generation of young professionals, don't support downtown anymore.

Bell admits that the new projects coming to downtown may eventually bring more people.

"If Joe had better support through the hard times, he could have done it," Bell said, "but he didn't have it."

Wes Kinsey, the owner of My Daddy's Cheesecake, said being downtown was no longer as profitable.

"We were worried about the direction the downtown was going at that point and whether or not we could survive," he said. "Things were not good for us when we were downtown. We portray one image, but that's not necessarily what's going on behind the scenes."

Kinsey said after he bought the restaurant in 1996, he saw significant increases until 1999, then profits leveled and dropped off. Kinsey said he looked at moving to St. Louis and Nashville before settling on a relocation to Route W's La Croix Village.

He also said he knows some businesses downtown, like Renaissance, are doing well. For that, he had no explanation.

"What makes one business thrive and another one do poorly, I don't know," he said. "But we just didn't feel like our pockets were deep enough."

He said business still isn't great, but he's selling four times the product that he sold downtown.

Many other businesses say that downtown, after years of struggle, is finally an exciting place to be. Even some of those that closed say that their location had nothing to do with their decisions to shut down.

For example, Kathi Mecham, who owns Woody's Greek House at 18 N. Spanish, said she is closing because she wants to go to college to get a degree and couldn't run the store and do that at the same time.

"It's been a wonderful home," Mecham said of the downtown. "It's possible I could have done better business near campus, but rents up there are higher, too. It's been a real good home for me."

When Martin Hecht announced that Hecht's would close, he said that the store saw record sales in recent years. Hecht, who said he was ready to retire, said that the downtown area was doing so well made the decision to close easier on him.

Others believe so much in downtown that they're investing in new business there. A new custom cabinetry shop is going in at 127 N. Main. Back Porch Antiques opened on Feb. 1 at 27 N. Main.

Cape Girardeau restaurateur Su Hill plans to convert the old Keys Music Store building on Broadway into a new European-style pub and a "boutique-style" hotel in the upper floors.

'Change is always good'

"Businesses close and new businesses come in," Hill said. "I want to be a part of downtown and live here. And it's good. You need new things, new ideas and new concepts. Change is always good. It will make the downtown even better and stronger."

Sean Wibbenmeyer, who owns Hempie's, also thinks downtown is a good place to be. Hempie's, at 110 Themis, sells water pipes, new age items like Buddhas and incense, as well as adult toys and videos.

Wibbenmeyer just last week bought the My Daddy's Cheesecake building on North Main. He said he plans to rent the building out, noting it could be another restaurant or another retail shop.

"But I think downtown's really on its way up," he said. "Cape is on the way there. It's just doing it really slowly."

Sidewalk Sandwich Co. has taken over the former spot of Grace Cafe and the Corner Cafe at 119 Themis. The sandwich shop is owned by Scott Hamann and Andy Baranovic and opened Jan. 14.

"We picked this location not because it's downtown, but because it's a good location," Hamann said. "And business has been as good as business can be without any real advertising."

Bill Dunn, the president of the Downtown Merchants Association, said he couldn't disagree stronger with the assertion that the downtown isn't on the upswing.

As for the business owners that closed: "I think perhaps they just got tired," he said. "The rest of us are going to stay here 365 days a year. They had some special circumstances, and we respect that. But the rest of us are going to continue to slug it out."

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611