Main Street treasures revealed during Sunday tour
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A lot of activity is happening in downtown Marshalltown, and on Sunday roughly 80 people learned about historical and updated treasures on Main Street during the Treasures Tour. Hosted by the Marshalltown Central Business District (MCBD), people heard about progress being made in different buildings on Main Street. The last time the tour was held was 2016.
The stops on the tour were the Gildner building, the Odd Fellows Theater, La Michoacana Coffee & Ice Cream, Five Star Realty and The Outlet, the Hopkins and Willard buildings and Nied's Pharmacy.
Some Treasures Tour attendees listen to Janelle Carter explain the history of the Hopkins and Willards buildings. People attending were split into groups of 20 for the tour.
MCBD Executive Director Deb Millizer said people learned about the history of some sites -- such as the Gildner building -- and how other spaces are being revitalized. One revitalization she wanted to share was at Five Star.
"That coworking space is really cool," she said. "It's really up-to-date and something to be very proud of. We really want to support that business, and I know people want to see the inside."
The historical Gildner building is owned by Jeff Simms, who has practically gutted the inside, while keeping some of the historical details.
"We will have retail or commercial space down here," he said. "We're hoping for shopping or a cafe, and three apartments upstairs."
Another historical stop was the Odd Fellows Theater above Doo Dahs. Millizer said it is a very neat and historic space.
"It is ripe to be redeveloped," she said. "They're going to be mesmerized by what they see up there."
The Hopkins and Willard buildings are owned by Joe and Janelle Carter. Janelle told the tour group they are preserving the history of the site, but also updating it for 14 apartments. Millizer said the project has been underway for almost three years.
"We need more people to invest in upper-story housing," Millizer said. "We have all of this space upstairs in these buildings that are not utilized right now. We want people to see what is going on and what can happen."
Neil Dalal gives the introduction to the Treasures Tour held on Sunday. Roughly 40 attendees met at the Orpheum Theater, before proceeding to different buildings on Main Street and learning about progress in each location.
Before the tour began, an introduction was provided by Neil Dalal, a member of the MCBD Board of Directors in charge of economic vitality. Standing on the theater stage in the Orpheum, he told the crowd about the importance of revitalizing Main Street, and the opportunity for investment. Dalal said there are three buildings owned by the city which should be on the market next year.
"The key message for today -- there's a lot happening -- we want you to see the completed projects, and what it means to downtown Marshalltown," Dalal said. "It really is amazing, the time and dollars invested."
Since 2019, he said there has been $36 million invested in the effort. Since 2002, volunteers have given 68,000 hours. Dalal stressed the importance of getting local people to buy and own downtown businesses, such as additional dining and retail shops and gathering spaces.
"The more we keep buildings local that means more dollars stay in our community," he said.
Dalal closed the introduction by giving a call to action, and hoped the attendees would be inspired by the potential of downtown Marshalltown. He said residents who have dreams about certain businesses in some of the downtown spaces should contact MCBD. They can help create the connections to make the dream a reality.
"There's a lot of opportunity, a lot of experience," Dalal said. "Take that leap and envision an amazing downtown."
Maggie Santillan and her niece Daniella Zamora tell the Treasures Tour people about the upcoming La Michoacana Coffee & Ice Cream business on Main Street. The plan is to open the shop after Thanksgiving.
One person who took that leap is Maggie Santillan of Davenport, the owner of La Michoacana Coffee & Ice Cream. She plans to open the business after Thanksgiving. In addition, Santillan will offer sub sandwiches and soups. Originally from Marshalltown, she said she wanted to open a shop downtown.
"I grew up here, and graduated here," Santillan said. "I know it's a small, close community. In the Quad Cities, it's separate and I didn't feel the vibe there for something smaller. For something small, I like it here."
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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.