Downtown Cape, uptown Jackson see growth in businesses

Out-of-towners returning to downtown Cape Girardeau for Homecoming weekend may notice some changes, as several new businesses have set up shop in the city’s heart.

Visitors who attended Jackson’s recent Oktoberfest may have seen similar updates as the city’s uptown area has also seen an influx of new businesses.

“I think it is a reflection of how, across the country, there’s a growing interest in downtown environments,” said Marla Mills, executive director of Old Town Cape.

As part of the organization’s mission to develop the downtown area, Old Town Cape presented the Cape Girardeau City Council with an annual report quantifying aspects of the past year’s growth.

Anyone walking downtown may notice new businesses, but according to Old Town Cape findings, 41 new businesses in total opened during the city’s most recent fiscal year, resulting in a net gain of 24 businesses and 59 new jobs.

A view down Main Street in downtown Cape Girardeau.Andrew J. Whitaker

Part of that growth, Mills explained, is because of new types of companies, especially digital ones.

“The past year — past two years, to be honest — we’ve had a lot more additions of different types of businesses in the [downtown] district,” she said.

Mills credited a large part of that shift to the efforts of business incubator Codefi and the Marquette Tech District.

“There’s an entrepreneurial spirit that has been developed through Codefi and the [Marquette] Tech District,” she said. “[Tech-based entrepreneurship] is happening in a lot of downtowns across the country. Our downtown was just in a good position to take advantage of that and have the right people in the right places to support that growth. It doesn’t just happen.”

Another useful metric in assessing the past year’s growth is investment dollars. More than $11.8 million went toward improvement projects, with just over $8.3 million coming from private investors.

Ophelia women's clothing store in downtown Cape Girardeau.Andrew J. Whitaker

“This year we had our Main Street [city] project, so we don’t always have that large of a project to report, but we’re seeing more and more private investment in the district,” Mills said.

Meanwhile, in uptown Jackson, Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce director of retail development Jen Berti said seven new businesses have opened in the last year.

“It’s the highest number of new businesses that have opened in uptown Jackson since the beginning of the Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization (in 2013),” she said. “The Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce continues to work with the Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization in their recruiting efforts.”

The businesses represent a wide range of industry, from embroidery to coffee to martial arts and a bar. Berti said each one makes it more enticing for other prospective businesses to consider uptown.

“The Jackson community is growing, and people want a fun uptown, where they can grab a cup of coffee, go shopping, grab dinner and a drink, and enjoy different events,” she said. “Business owners see the vitality and the traffic, and know that their business will get exposure.”

Berti said her top priority for maintaining momentum is to focus on underutilized spaces, while Mills said Old Town Cape is focused mainly on obtaining grant funding from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

“We’re really proud of the downtown area,” Mills said. “It’s just really exciting.”

tgraef@semissourian.com

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