CAPE'S DOWNTOWN IN MIDST OF REVIVAL

When Judith Anne Lang decided to open a gift shop on Main Street 3 1/2 years ago, she was told it wasn't a wise move.

"Someone said, `you don't want to open a business downtown, it will fail,'" recalled Lang.

Fortunately, Lang wasn't deterred by the gloomy talk.

Today, her Judith Anne's gift shop at 130 N. Main is doing well and so is the rest of Cape Girardeau's downtown.

The city's riverfront has gone through a renaissance, with new businesses opening and existing businesses expanding.

Carol Schwettman closed her two businesses on Kingshighway. Last week, she reopened the stores -- Carol-Cyn's Fashions and Carol's Closet & Consignment -- at 19 N. Main.

"I just like what they are doing and accomplishing downtown," said Schwettman, who admitted she has never liked malls.

She likes the beauty of the downtown, with its historic buildings and distinctive architecture.

Most of her customers welcomed the relocation, she said.

A new restaurant is coming to the downtown. Rufus Mudsucker's, which will feature deli-type sandwiches and salads, is slated to open soon in a building at Main and Independence.

A Step Back in Time, an antique store, soda shop and pizza parlor also is scheduled to open this fall.

Capaha Bank has moved some of its offices to a renovated building at 1 S. Main.

The Wine Cellar, which sells wine, cheese, breads and gourmet food, has expanded its business.

The Arts Council of Southeast Missouri has an art gallery in a building at Spanish and Independence.

Mollie's Cafe & Bar at 11 S. Spanish recently was remodeled.

"People are seeing the opportunity is there to go into business," said Dave Hutson, president of the Downtown Merchants Association.

There is a trend for people to get back to their roots, he said. The vintage downtowns are part of people's heritage.

"We are lucky that Cape has a downtown that is still viable," Hutson said.

His family has operated a furniture store in the city's downtown since 1945.

Hutson said the downtown buildings have a lot to offer architecturally. "There are a lot of neat buildings down here. You can't just go build one like that," he said.

Lang said the downtown merchants in association with the city's Historic Preservation Commission are seeking to have the area included on the National Register of Historic Business Districts.

If that occurs, downtown businesses can qualify for federal and state income tax breaks, Lang said.

The downtown has a mix of homes and businesses. Many of the downtown buildings have stores on the first floor and apartments on the second.

The downtown is home to both business owners and artists.

"There is a certain color in the downtown area, whether it be in Cape Girardeau, St. Louis or Memphis," said Lang.

"You do have more a mix of people," she said.

Lang and her husband, who operates a downtown jewelry store, live in the downtown area.

In nice weather, Lang said she walks the five blocks to work.

"I think the thing that is making it work is the mix of residents, the businesses, the restaurants, the entertainment," she said.

Seventy-five new banners have added to the downtown's visibility. The banners feature drawings of the Common Pleas Courthouse and a riverboat and denote the area as a "Historic Riverfront District."

Some 70 merchants are members of the Downtown Merchants Association. The downtown area is bordered by Pacific on the west, Broadway on the north, Independence on the south and the Mississippi River on the east.

"The river is a natural draw," said Lang. Tourists are drawn to the downtown by Old Man River.

There is a family atmosphere to the downtown, she said.

"We're not just merchants, we're your neighbors," said Lang. Most of the businesses downtown are family owned or individually operated.

"We work long hours," she said. "We are all friends."

Lang said they willingly help each other.

She and other merchants said Southeast Missouri State University's plans to develop a former Catholic seminary into a River Campus for the fine and performing arts and construction of a new Mississippi River bridge should also give the downtown a boost in the coming years.

"Everything is aligning," she said. "It seems to be coming together at the same time."