The past year brought an exciting time to downtown Mansfield, with the revitalization of old events and arrival of new businesses. Luckily, the best is yet to come.
Jennifer Kime, executive director of Downtown Mansfield, Inc. (DMI) said the organization has seen a marked growth from 2012 to 2014 in everything downtown.
“When people say things happen overnight, they don’t really happen overnight – they kind of come to a tipping point over time,” said Kime. “In 2014 we reached a new pinnacle of success for awareness of all there is to offer downtown.”
The most successful DMI event in 2014 was the Final Friday concert series, an eight-year concert series that saw a growth of three times its normal attendance this past year. Kime said the dramatic increase in attendance on Final Fridays spilled over into other downtown events, including Shop Hop and Secret City Tours.
“The concert and Shop Hop have been long-term projects, but we invested a ton of money in marketing and growing and tweaking year to year,” said Kime. “I think you reach a point where you reach a mass consciousness where the more people you know attend them, and those growth points grow over time.”
In the future, Kime said DMI is looking into comprehensive improvements to the Brickyard in order to host more regular, ongoing entertainment. Within the next one to three years, DMI expects to create a permanent stage at the Brickyard to designate the space as a permanent place for summer entertainment. Kime said the organization has also been tracking new legislation regarding entertainment district licensing.
“The Arena District in Columbus has been spearheading an effort to have liquor licenses be devised differently in entertainment districts,” Kime explained. “It doesn’t apply to populations that are our size but we are looking at those for opportunity for growth.”
Kime stated that the legislation combines liquor licensing and a geographic partnership with businesses and nonprofit organizations related to the use of beer and liquor during events.
“The goal is to be able to utilize new legislation and designate a portion of downtown as an entertainment district, and have more spillover amongst entertainment businesses downtown,” said Kime.
Entertainment growth in downtown Mansfield has also influenced downtown business development. Kime said new businesses that joined downtown’s business community in 2014 include The Phoenix Brewery, TOGLoft, Olive Us, The Boot Life, Little Bow-tique, City Garden Café and Mechanics Bank’s significant expansion.
“We’ve had positive net growth and business development every year since 2005, but typically the end net growth has been around two to three. Last year our net growth was right around eight,” said Kime. “The increased demand for spaces continues to grow, we see even more interest in not only businesses you see starting up – more retail, restaurant businesses – but lots of service businesses opening as well.”
One business that opened its doors in 2014 was The Boot Life, a Fourth Street shop dedicated to selling quality boots for work, western or fashion. Since opening its doors in October 2014, owner Holly Troupe said the goal of The Boot Life was to be a destination shop. So far, that goal has been realized.
“People are coming to downtown Mansfield specifically to come to The Boot Life,” said Troupe. “So when people come and they’re not familiar with downtown Mansfield, I’ve been known to draw a map on a Post-It note to show them where to go.”
Troupe said bringing outside shoppers to The Boot Life is only going to help her downtown neighbors, and she is more than happy to be a help and encouragement to community businesses.
“We love local and love to support entrepreneurship,” she said. “I think there are a lot of connotations about downtown Mansfield, and people don’t know what’s going on. So we wanted to be a part of that, making people aware and saying hey, this is a cool place to be.”
Currently, Kime said DMI is working with four new entities that are looking for space in downtown, and she estimates another growth year in 2015. Some of those entities include property owners interested in buying residential spaces downtown.
“The built-up residential demand is coming to a tipping point. Currently we have 45 residential units downtown but we’re trying to get some more of those developing in the next 12 to 24 months,” said Kime. “We have space that can be developed, identified as being better for residential development, but some of that needs ownership and sponsorship so it depends on how quickly we get some investors together.”
With so much new group anticipated in downtown Mansfield, Troupe said she is happy to be riding the wave.
“We certainly did not start the wave, but we see great things happening here and we want to be on the wave and want to be a part of it,” she said. “When something exciting is happening, we want to be there.”
“In 2014 we reached a new pinnacle of success for awareness of all there is to offer downtown,” said Downtown Mansfield Inc. Executive Director Jennifer Kime.
