Old Town Cape to offer tour of select downtown lofts

Downtown Cape Girardeau is home to several shops, restaurants, a riverfront and even some residents, and Old Town Cape is hoping to attract more attention to the district Friday evening with a tour of residential spaces.

The largely self-guided tour runs from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, with maps available in the Marquette Tower lobby at 338 Broadway in Cape Girardeau, said Samantha Mlot, communication and marketing specialist with Old Town Cape.

Area Properties Real Estate-River Region will hold a reception in the lobby during the tour, with refreshments and sneak peeks at future development, Mlot said.

Each location also will have a volunteer or tour guide on hand to give more information about the property, Mlot said.

Mlot said the tour is designed to show developers and tenants there are possibilities downtown.

A view of the bedroom inside the loft between Ashley Bailey Custom Cabinetry and Ophelia Boutique in downtown Cape Girardeau. This is one of the lofts that will be on tour Friday.Andrew J. Whitaker

Eight upper-story residences in downtown will be featured, Mlot said, including units on North Main Street and Broadway in Cape Girardeau.

The event is the brainchild of Old Town Cape's economic-vitality committee, led by Marla Mills, Old Town Cape executive director, and Bo Kleman, committee chair man and Realtor.

Sarah DeLuca, a real-estate agent with Area Properties, said she's excited to be part of the event.

DeLuca, a Cape Girardeau native, said downtown was a fun place to go when she was a child, and "what's happening now is really exciting. There are so many more opportunities. It's never been better. Activities, shopping, the riverfront, it's really changing and growing and growing," she said.

DeLuca added, "It's a neat thing they're doing, showing some properties that are ready to buy and move in, some need a little love and care and building out, some are for sale and some are not. They're really mixing it up, showing different aspects to the downtown area.

A view of a living room inside the loft between Ashley Bailey Custom Cabinetry and Ophelia Boutique in downtown Cape Girardeau. This is one of the lofts that will be on tour Friday.Andrew J. Whitaker

"It will be eye-opening for people to see what downtown has to offer," DeLuca said.

Mlot said Old Town Cape hopes to encourage developers and residents by showing what can be done with space in downtown buildings' upper stories. Several of those upper floors are not being used, so there is room to expand residential offerings downtown.

"You can't have a vibrant downtown if you don't have people living in the downtown," Mlot said. "You can have stores and restaurants, but unless people are living there to eat and shop at those places, whether downtown or midtown or anywhere, you can't have vibrancy without people living there."

Touring residential spaces seemed like a good move after the success of a commercial building tour a few years ago, Mlot said.

"We thought, 'Let's give this a try, spark someone's imagination,'" she added.

"There's a pretty large number of what could be residences on Main and Broadway," Mlot said, adding several units have been developed and occupied.

As to how many units are available, Mlot said most units are privately owned, so those numbers aren't usually reported.

For several years, Old Town Cape has been working to revitalize and promote downtown businesses, Mlot said.

"This is definitely within the vision of the city and Old Town Cape to continue to create that type of place where people are living, working, playing in Downtown," she said.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address: 338 Broadway St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.