Lawrenceburg Main Street Has Helped Downtown "Turn A Corner"

After a successful 2018, the main street organization and downtown businesses aim to go to the next level in 2019.

Lawrenceburg Main Street Board of Directors president Lori Enright speaks at the organization's annual meeting on Wednesday, April 17. Photo by Mike Perleberg, Eagle Country 99.3.

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - Lawrenceburg Main Street’s leader will soon be retiring.

The main street organization held its annual meeting over breakfast Thursday morning at the Lawrenceburg Event Center.

Board president Lori Enright and Mayor Kelly Mollaun announced that longtime Main Street director Pat Krider will be retiring this year. Krider has been one of the city’s greatest advocates in that role for nearly a decade.

Krider remarked that the economic environment in downtown Lawrenceburg has stabilized thanks to all the city’s investment. Two new businesses opened in the district in 2018. Two more have opened this year.

Now it is time to take the revitalization of downtown to the next level, she said. In order to welcome more merchants, the city must first have more available retail space to offer shops, boutiques, and other businesses.

“Small business is tough to find. Especially good small business,” she said. “We have a lack of spaces to accommodate the businesses that are looking. That’s going to be a real challenge going forward.”

Krider believes co-working spaces could be part of the solution. The idea is to place more than one business in a building.

Another part of that next step will be the debut of the city’s new $6 million Civic Park on June 1. The park remains under construction at the corner of Short and High streets.

“It’s a big agenda, I’ll admit that. But I believe we have a very strong organization here in Lawrenceburg,” she said.

Mollaun said Lawrenceburg Main Street is a conduit to get things done in downtown and has been great for his administration to work with.

“Everything we do downtown is to help this revitalization effort and the sustainability of our merchants. Every one of you are a reason that we’ve turned a corner down here,” said Mollaun.

The mayor noted that all but one of the 14 businesses to come downtown during his term remain open today.

Enright recognized two downtown businesses. Bill’s Shoe Repair has been in business for 50 years and is operated by owner Randy Tyler. Vicki Rider’s Quilter’s Garden has been in open for eight years.

“Small businesses are the heartbeat of downtown,” she said.

Lawrenceburg Main Street puts on dozens of events in downtown each year, including Music on the River free concerts, the Lawrenceburg Farmers Market, Party in the Street, Winter Wonderland, and a pub crawl. New this year will be the Tastes of Summer festival on June 15 and Movies in the Park at the new Civic Park.

Learn more about Lawrenceburg Main Street at www.thinklawrenceburg.com.

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