Roll out red carpet along Broadway corridor

I was reading the Jan. 25 article by TJ Greaney in the Southeast Missourian, "Residents discuss their ideas for improving Cape Girardeau," and the one idea that made complete sense to me was expressed by Mr. and Mrs. Paul Giebler: Broadway needs to be improved since it is the corridor to downtown where so many wonderful improvements have been made by merchants in terms of improving storefronts and opening businesses that attract visitors as well as local residents.

Since I grew up here in the 1940s, I remember when Broadway was a bustling thoroughfare with shops like Howard's Athletic Goods, Mrs. Miller's Cafe next door to the Esquire Theatre, Hale's Gift Shop, Finney's Rexall Drug Store, Ochs' Florist and Gifts, Tinsley's Appliances, Broadway Prescription Shop, Nowell's Camera Shop, Shivelbine's Music Store, Model Grocery Store, Libson's Dress Shop, Idan-Ha Hotel, Metro News, a cosmetics store, a bank and a gas station.

My point is that several of these shops are still there, trying to make a difference in Cape Girardeau and presenting Broadway with the variety of stores needed. Downtown is visited with excitement by those who not only get off the riverboats, but by those visitors who find their way to visit historic places of interest.

Broadway is historical, since it was the original hub that was built up after the Haarig district by the founders of Cape Girardeau. It behooves the people of Cape Girardeau to revitalize Broadway and make it into a historical/commercial thoroughfare that rolls out the red carpet for those who come into Cape to bring students to Southeast Missouri State University, for business owners looking for a new-business location and for visitors and local residents who want to enjoy downtown restaurants and shops.

We need a variety of businesses similar to the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s to serve everyone -- university students, downtown residents and citizens from the Mississippi River to Kingshighway and from north of the university south to Highway 74. Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority buses now covers this area for those who are without transportation of their own.

Before these storefronts can have tenants, owners of these buildings need to take a good look at their buildings, renovate them, meet building codes and build historical exteriors. The upstairs of these buildings could be used for storage or converted to rental units for tenants who would appreciate their surroundings.

This revitalization needs to be a partnership of merchants, city officials, the historical preservation department at the university, the convention and visitors bureau, service clubs and the chamber of commerce.

There is a saying that "you get what you pay for," and I believe we could attract a better variety of businesses for the historical Broadway corridor leading downtown if we all worked together toward renovating and revitalizing the heart of Cape Girardeau.

Please give your support to the historical Broadway corridor.

Nancy Nussbaum Robinson is a Cape Girardeau resident.