Uptown Jackson fills storefronts; organization shifts focus to drawing people

Editor’s note: This story has been edited to correct some quotations. The Southeast Missourian regrets the error.

New businesses, expanded nightlife, events, remodeling and improvements to the water system all have contributed to giving new life to uptown Jackson, thanks to the joint efforts of the Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization and city officials.

This small group of volunteers began its efforts just a few years ago, and it has seen several uptown merchants partner with them in their vision to breathe new life into an area of town that is historically and commercially significant.

Ann-Louise Bridal at 121 W. Main St. opened late last year and steps into the bridal market vacancy left by The Andrew Jackson’s departure.

Barrel 131 at 131 S. High St. brings wine and spirits to the scene, already home to Lloyd’s Tavern and Tractors.

A view of the intersection of Adams and High in uptown Jackson Tuesday in Jackson.Andrew J. Whitaker

Barrel 131 is opening soon.

Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization vice president Darren Burgfeld has roots in Jackson and wants to see the city grow and thrive for reasons personal and professional.

“I think we’re in kind of a key position with Jackson,” Burgfeld said. “We are at that spot where everybody’s kind of feeling that progressive buzz.”

Uptown Jackson, according to the organization’s description, is an area bordered by Hubble Creek to the west and Goose Creek to the east, Highway 72 to the south and Cherry Street to the north.

The group’s initial focus is to attract businesses to empty storefronts, Burgfeld said, and that process is moving along.

Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization president Bob Schooley said he believes the occupancy rate is high right now.

“I don’t think there are many storefronts empty this second,” Schooley said. “Obviously, the Regions Bank building [at 101 W. Main St.] remains vacant, as does the building right behind it on Main Street, although that one is not ready to be rented, so it usually doesn’t count towards those totals.”

Schooley said the Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization hopes to conduct a full building inventory this year so it can better track occupancy statistics.

Schooley thinks it is unlikely new construction will be pursued because the uptown area includes immovable landmarks such as Jackson Cemetery, the police and fire station and the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse.

South High Street and West Main Street’s business district looks to attract more foot traffic now that retail spaces are occupied.

High Street Station, Cobblestone Corner and Sweetheart Florist have been fixtures on South High Street for several years and have a loyal clientele. Schooley would like to see that replicated with Ann-Louise Bridal and Barrel 131, along with other new businesses to come.

Now that the initial push for improvement is underway, the Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization is looking to draw more people to its events, Burgfeld said.

“We have good plans for those [events], good plans in place for those, so they’re not new or experimental, but we do like to grow and expand those, find out what’s great, what’s not working so good,” Burgfeld said.

The funds go to the nonprofit Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization and are put toward efforts to improve events, maintain landscaping and hanging baskets and maintain other long-term projects, said board member Tyler Wolfsberger, who added the events are not the entirety of what the committee does but they’re what people can look at.

Burgfeld estimated 2016 Oktoberfest attendance at about 14,000, which he said is great for the city of Jackson and for UJRO. “We’ve done a lot of good with these events,” Burgfeld said.

The Uptown Jackson revitalization movement took advantage of two major assets Burgfeld sees in Jackson: an uptown that was essentially an excellent framework that could be built out and a population of young, enthusiastic people with families attracted by the Jackson School District. ”That has brought a lot of energy. People feel like, ‘Let’s take a chance in uptown,’ because there is a vibrant younger group of people who’ve moved in. Hopefully we can get more and more of those people interested in volunteering.”

Burgfeld became involved with the Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization after attending the St. Charles Oktoberfest in 2013 and thinking Cape Girardeau needed a celebration like it.

He has been active in Cape Girardeau’s music scene for years, playing trombone and singing in bands including Cataphasia, The Tone Def All Stars, and Shades of Soul.

“I attended Riverfest, then City of Roses when it turned into that.” He said there were a couple especially good years for those events, but the planning was not necessarily consistent from year to year.

That is not the case with Oktoberfest, he said. He enjoyed attending Jackson’s first celebration of autumn, music and beer, and when he was approached about volunteering for the next, he agreed. “That’s how I came into the group, and a year later I was vice president.”

UJRO recently changed their fiscal year start from June to January, Burgfeld said. “Which is really nice just for our organizational purposes,” Burgfeld said. “We look at it from January to December because of how our events run.”

Burgfeld said it’s easier to plan events for a calendar year.

“Everybody has a great sense of trust in what’s going on,” Burgfeld said. “Good blend of people. It’s cool that everybody…is there to improve Jackson.”

Burgfeld said one of the best steps the organization took was to get involved with Missouri Main Street, a nonprofit endeavor by the National Council for Historic Preservation to assist communities in revitalization efforts.

Look at Missouri Main Street’s website, and you’ll see a step-by-step, point-by-point framework that lines out how Jackson rolled out its revitalization efforts.

Burgfeld readily concedes Missouri Main Street had a big effect.

Burgfeld said that the organization has taken the Missouri Main Street approach. “They really have been absolutely worth the money,” he said. “They helped us create this. We felt it was the right choice.”

Burgfeld said the event management has been helpful, giving plans, suggestions, spreadsheets to help hit all points of the event. “Everything’s functionally laid out in black and white. That’s helped us to really make it organization dependent and not individual dependent.”

A four-point plan outlined on Missouri Main Street’s website includes organization, economic restructuring, design and promotion.

He said the city has been great in promoting economic growth, attracting new businesses and helping existing merchants grow.

Of the eight events Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization puts on each year, Oktoberfest is the most popular, but Jackson in Bloom is also a great chance to get out and enjoy spring, said board member Janet Sanders.

She typically handles planning for the spring celebration that offers Jackson High School’s horticulture class plant sale, children’s crafts, vendors and other attractions. “This year, I’m really looking forward to doing something different,” Sanders said. “We want the same overall celebration with new vendors, activities. It’ll be exciting to move forward with it.”

The city is formalizing the Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization relationship with a contract that will specify areas of accountability, including a budget to show where city contributions will be spent. An ordinance was passed at the Jan. 26 board of aldermen meeting approving the measure to move forward with a pact, but the contract has not been finalized.

In the meantime, Wolfsberger said, the organization is working out scheduling concerns and keeping to business as usual.

Jackson Mayor Dwain Hahs supports initiatives to attract businesses to Jackson and improve infrastructure to support growth.

He said the recent hiring of retail consultant Jen Berti will allow the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce and the city to expand efforts to recruit businesses and grow existing ones, for example, and projects to improve Jackson’s water system and traffic flow are underway in 2017.

Hahs’ next project is to conduct a survey of residents to determine areas of emphasis in the next phase of development.

“We want to identify areas of priority,” Hahs said, “and we want to see what our people truly want.”

This focus on Jackson residents is a hallmark of the revitalization effort.

The Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization and city staff members expressed a determination to work together to bring about positive change for Jackson.

“This town is getting life,” Burgfeld said. “This is a group that is active and energetic, has some energy, wants to see things done. It’s just cool to see that happening.”

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address: 131 S. High Street, Jackson

121 W. Main Street, Jackson

101 W. Main Street, Jackson