Uptown merchants want compromise on Jackson Homecomers street plans

The annual Homecomers celebration draws big crowds to the streets of uptown Jackson. It also draws big losses according to several Jackson merchants.

At its meeting Monday night, the Jackson Board of Aldermen received a request from the Jackson American Legion to close parts of several streets for nearly a week to accommodate the festival, which is scheduled for July 23 through 27. Jackson American Legion Post 158 has sponsored Homecomers since the late 1930s, and it’s the organization’s biggest fundraiser.

“These are basically the same street closures we’ve asked for year in and year out,” said Larry Koehler, treasurer of the American Legion post and chairman of the Homecomers’ committee for the past decade. In his special event permit application, Koehler requested several blocks of High Street be closed at 1 p.m. July 21, giving the carnival vendor, Fountain City Amusements of De Soto, Missouri, ample time to set up before Homecomers begins around 5:30 p.m. July 23.

“They (the carnival vendor) would like to come in and start setting up Sunday (July 21) afternoon,” Koehler told the aldermen. “They used to start setting up on Monday afternoon, work all night long and then all Tuesday, and then they’re expected to be awake and alert enough to run rides when we open Tuesday night, which doesn’t seem real safe.”

According to the event permit application, the streets would be cleared and reopen by 6 a.m. July 28.

Moments after receiving the street closure request, the aldermen were given a petition bearing approximately 75 signatures of people representing 11 uptown Jackson businesses asking the streets remain open most of the week.

“We, the undersigned, are opposed to closing High Street during Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during the Homecomers event, as such closure seriously restricts trade and traffic in Uptown Jackson, which results in much loss of revenue for our businesses,” according to the petition.

Janey Foust, co-owner of Cobblestone Corner, 130 S. High Street, organized the petition drive and told the aldermen the street closures discourage customers from shopping at her store and other businesses, primarily along High Street.

Foust, who has been an uptown Jackson business owner since 1999 and co-owner of Cobblestone Corner the past five years, said business at her store drops off 50% to 70% during Homecomers and other merchants have similar sales declines.

“It’s a tough week for us,” she told the Missourian after the meeting.

Over the years, Foust said she and other merchants along High Street have tried running “Homecomers Specials” and other promotions to attract customers during the week, but for the most part they haven’t been able to overcome the drop in business. Closing during the week is not an option, she said, because she still has to pay her employees and other overhead expenses.

“We can’t just lock our doors and say, ‘Hey, let’s go on vacation this week’,” Foust said at the board meeting. “Our trade is much restricted which means not only a loss of revenue for merchants but also a loss of sales tax revenue for the city.”

Part of the problem, Foust said, is Homecomers won’t open until 5:30 or 6 p.m. daily, so not only will streets be closed, but there will also be little or no “foot traffic” during the day when her store and others will be open.

At one time, Homecomers opened earlier in the day, drawing crowds — and shoppers — to uptown Jackson. However, daytime crowds diminished to the point organizers and vendors decided to eliminate daytime hours.

“I would love to see if we could have a crowd there at noon or thereabouts everyday,” Koehler told the Missourian after the board meeting. The idea has been discussed with carnival ride representatives who said they’ve tried earlier openings at other locations, but there was not enough attendance to justify it.

Foust said she and other merchants are willing to compromise and hope Homecomers could open early on Saturday, July 27, which she said is one of their busiest days of the week.

“We want to work with the city and the Legion to find a solution,” she said following the meeting. “We love Homecomers and don’t want to see it go away. We just want to make it more business-owner friendly.”

Steve Turner, executive director of Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization, agreed.

“Homecomers is a great event for Jackson,” he told the Missourian. “The only problem is that merchants in uptown Jackson are being hit financially because Homecomers is closed during the day. The merchants really just want Homecomers to be a vibrant and exciting event and not closed off for business during the week.”

Koehler agreed at the board meeting to contact representatives of the carnival company to see whether there is a possibility of adding daytime hours to at least one of the Homecomers days as a way to try to draw pedestrian traffic to High Street stores or whether there are any other solutions that would satisfy store owners. He said he would follow up with merchants and city representatives following his discussion with the vendor about any possible solution or compromise.

Everyone agrees moving Homecomers to another location such as the Jackson City Park is not an option.

“It’s been discussed in the past, but usually gets shot down real quick,” Koehler told the Missourian.

“We think it should continue to be an uptown event,” Foust added after the meeting. “We believe in tradition. It’s what we want.”

The street closure issue and its impact on Jackson merchants is not new. According to a story in the Southeast Missourian from the summer of 1990, a committee was created to try to resolve uptown merchants’ complaints about the loss of business during Homecomers.

jwolz@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630