CENTRALIA’S DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION RECONGIZED

Through the redevelopment projects and investments of local entrepreneurs, Centralia’s Downtown modernization has become a talking point in the statewide conversation about the importance of revitalizing downtown districts in rural communities.

During her recent webinar, “Planning the Future of Small Rural Communities”, Pam Schallhorn, community and economic development specialist of the University of Illinois Extension, used Centralia’s downtown revitalization as a model for success.

Schallhorn praised the contributions of Chris and Rae Ann Quidgeon, owners of Daddyos and RAIL Coffee Room, as well as Shannon and Mindy Cooney, the duo behind Crooked Creek Winery’s downtown wine bar, Prescription Shared Space, and development ventures RePurpose Development, LLC and Cooney Hospitality Group.

“There’s a tattoo business that came in and started a fantastic coffee shop, which is sort of a central hub,” Schallhorn said. “[Centralia also] had a couple that opened a winery who have done a lot of local investments. They’ve created a wine bar; and they’ve created pop-up shop events.”

“Downtown Centralia didn’t look like that 10 years ago,” Schallhorn continued. “They’ve got all this retail, all this fun, all this entertainment, and they’ve used historic tax credits.”

In a follow-up webinar, Schallhorn mentioned the latest major investment in Centralia’s Downtown, the Fleeman family’s purchase and renovation of The Commonwealth.

“Another business has purchased The Commonwealth, with three renovated retail spaces and six apartments upstairs, opening this summer and eventually opening the Green Grill historic restaurant,” Schallhorn said. “Centralia has a population of 11,848. They have some really young people that have gotten involved. They have an entrepreneurial culture going on. They’ve used pop-up shops, they’ve had vendor events, and they’ve got a chamber of commerce that does a lot of really good things.”

Responding to Schallhorn’s recognition, Matthew Packman, Membership Director at the Centralia Chamber of Commerce, said, “The continued investments and development of Centralia’s Downtown by our local entrepreneurs are a massive benefit to our city and a prime example of what we mean by “Inspire Community”. As the Chamber of Commerce, we celebrate business developments like these throughout  the greater area”.

In both webinars, Schallhorn discussed the importance of having a strong downtown, and how it can be a crucial component when building a community.

“30 years ago, all you needed was cheap land and inexpensive employees. In the last five to ten years, that has changed,” she said. “It’s not about just cheap land or lower waged employees, it’s about whether their employees even want to live in your community. If you’re getting out there and trying to draw more manufacturing or industrial or commercial investment in your community, you need to start [with your] downtown.”