BY JOANIE JASPER

Main Street Middlesboro

What’s up, Middlesboro? I am so excited that spring has arrived. I love how the mountains have come alive with color.

The warmer weather is great for coming downtown checking out the shops, enjoying a meal, and of course enjoying some ice cream.

Thursday, April 20 is our special shopping night for the month. The weather is supposed to be nice, so plan on coming down and spending some time with us. Magnolia Blossom will have the special “Beyond the Crater” t-shirts for sale. Hello Beautiful Boutique and Tanning will be offering a sneak peek at their new merchandise. I am really excited for you to see the special items they will be carrying. They will now be your go to shop for gifts and special items. The Emporium at 2120 gets new items every week, so make sure to come see what is new. Riley, at Hometown Threads has some cute new items that will be perfect for the warmer weather. Of course A.D Campbell and Style and Grace also have some cute items to add to your closet. Give the cook at your house the night off and enjoy dinner downtown at Shades or Ike’s. Then before shopping night is over make sure to grab something sweet from MiMi’s Sweet Treats or Cosmic Cafe.

I hope that you have seen the new banners that were put up this week. I am thrilled that some of our local businesses purchased the banners to help us Congratulate the Class of 2023. I was so thankful that our street department was able to hang the banners up. Make sure to come come by and check them out.

I really like sharing the special events that we have for your downtown. I love telling you about all of the great businesses that we have downtown. So, I could not let this week pass by without sharing about a great meeting we had this past Tuesday. We had our 1st quarter meeting for downtown building and business owners. I love to see my downtown family sitting around the table talking about what is happening downtown and how they are making a positive impact not just in downtown, but in our town. Something really neat for this meeting was that we were able to have some delicious food created by Jamie Jones. We were also able to share that Jamie is looking to open a restaurant downtown.

As I approach my 2 years being here in Middlesboro, I can honestly say I am more in love with my new hometown then I was when I first pulled the U-Haul into the parking space in the city parking lot. Over the past two years I have been thrilled to see all of the new businesses come downtown. I also am very thankful for my Main Street Board. We have worked really hard to get on track with Main Street requirements. The hard work paid off when we received our Accreditation from Main Street America this month. I am looking forward to seeing more great things happen downtown. We are getting close to having all of the first floor retail spaces filled, which is so exciting. There is more work to do, but I am excited that with a great board, super Mayor and City Council, and most of all an incredible community, that the work will get done.

Remember I want to hear from you. Your input is important to making downtown a place for all of us to enjoy. Email me at downtownmiddlesboro@gmail.com.