Three Downtown Businesses Closing Brick & Mortar to Focus Elsewhere

I’ll admit upfront that these are a bit personal for me. I’ve long had relationships with two of the owners and the third business is extremely important for downtown, though I’m just not sure we are able to support it adequately. So, these shifts/closures sting a bit. While it’s not unusual for several businesses to pack it in at the end of the year, these would not have been on my bingo card. Let’s break it down:

Valley Medical Downtown Office

This one is really tough to take. I’ve lived downtown for sixteen years and watched it get better in so many respects during that time. We have far more restaurants, bars, and entertainment options. Where we come up short is on the kinds of businesses and services that support an urban neighborhood. On the short list of essential services to make downtown a truly functional urban residential node are medical services. We are fortunate to now have a dentist and a pharmacy (please support them!), neither of which existed a dozen years ago. Unfortunately, the quest for direct medical services for walk-ins or primary care has not gone so well.

Covenant Health operated a clinic in the space behind Phoenix Pharmacy from 2016 to 2022. They left citing a consolidation at their new facilities south of downtown on Chapman Highway. Fortunately, downtown residents and workers were without a clinic only a few months before Valley Medical opened their clinic in the same spot in the spring of 2023. Unfortunately, their run has come to an end at the downtown clinic.

From the beginning, owner Sandra Bond focused on rural health care delivery and this was her first foray into an urban setting. The group she heads continues to offer services at clinics in Blaine, Jacksboro, and Clinton. Elizabeth Wishart, who has been the primary care provider at the downtown location, will now work at the Clinton office and patients can transfer there if they like.

I reached out to Sandra who re-iterated her commitment to rural health services, though she pointed out the group has a growing emphasis on telehealth, which would still be available to downtown residents. The group will also deliver weekly injections on Fridays from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm to self-pay patients through Phoenix Pharmacy.

She said that all the staff will be retained at other locations and expressed sadness that the run ended, but added “I know as one door closes, another mission awaits. Ron (Sherill, the owner of the space) has been gracious to us. He’s a wonderful man. We love the people and the pharmacy. It truly was my favorite little clinic but it has to make sense and we have to be able to make an impact.”

The “making sense” portion is the rub. There have to be enough people utilizing a clinic to make it work. She said many of the patients she did have utilize Medicare or Medicaid (meaning a lower reimbursement rate) and the grants she can get as a rural provider didn’t apply here. I worry that downtown isn’t developing in a way that will deliver the sheer numbers to allow businesses like this to survive.

Full time residents need to support the businesses, but we also need more full time residents. On any given night many downtown residences are empty because they serve as second homes or even occasional drop-in spots. We have several new residential buildings at various stages of completion. I hope they are filled with people who make this their primary home. Otherwise, adequate support for medical and other services may be elusive.

The downtown office will remain open Mondays and Wednesdays through this month.

RALA

I first wrote about Nanci Solomon just over a dozen years ago when she moved Reruns to the Daylight building. With the exponential growth in downtown in recent years, there are likely many people who never heard of Reruns, but at that writing, it was one of the oldest businesses in the city. It closed two years later. But there is so much more to Nanci’s story.

There are few (and there are a few) who have such long-term connections to downtown generally and to downtown business specifically. In the early 1980s Nanci worked for Kristopher Kendrick at both the Bistro at the Bijou and Lord Lindsey’s. She also worked at Union Cafe (where Urban Outfitters is today). She opened Reruns in 1986, first in the Sprankle Building (demolished in 2001), then at 2 Market Square (where Petros just closed), before moving it to its final location in the Daylight Building.

Also during that period, she opened RALA (Regional and Local Artisans) in 2010 at 323 Union Avenue. She moved it to its current location at 112 West Jackson Avenue in 2017. The store has maintained and grown a robust online presence during those fifteen years and while the old city location is now closing, online sales will continue. It’s  a great way to support the artists who make this city unique. The store will remain open through the end of the year and you can check out their First Friday event this week with artists Cynthia Markert and Brian Pittman. They deserve your support.

I reached out to Nanci who noted that this moment was bittersweet. She said she plans to take some time off after the closing at the first of the year to assess specifically what she wants to do next. She’s considering a range of options and evaluating what she can maintain online. She said:

I feel the retail landscape has changed and COVID made that clear. I’m ready for a new creative direction. Running a physical store is incredibly rewarding because of the experiences and people, but it is emotionally and physically difficult and expensive. I need to transition into something more sustainable for me.

While Nanci’s name may not be as well-known as some others associated with downtown, she’s one of the people who built this little city into what it is today. Her faith in downtown, when it wasn’t necessarily obvious that it deserved such faith, is one of the quiet strands that brought us to this point in our history. She’s important to our story and, personally, I’ll miss knowing that she’s downtown every day doing the business of making a city.

Paris Woodhull Illustrations

Located at 121 South Gay Street, Paris Woodhull Illustrations brought a little burst of brightness to the 100 block when it opened in 2022. Urban Woman and I had been a fan of this bright creative young lady since her time at Fulton High School where my wife was a librarian. We grew to admire her as we got to know her through her work at Reruns and, later, Rala. We didn’t know where she’d land (still don’t!), but it was easy to see she was special and would do great things.

After three years of operating a shop, Paris has decided it’s time for a change. Here’s what she recently posted:

Hi friends! It’s Paris here It’s with a full (and a little heavy) heart that I share this – the shop will be closing at the end of this year. When I opened my doors three years ago, I had no idea how much love and support would follow. You’ve shown up for me and my team in the most incredible ways, and I truly can’t thank you enough

This past year, owning a brick-and-mortar retail store has been very time-consuming and difficult, and after a lot of reflection, I’ve realized it’s time for a new season – one with more space to draw, dream, and create again. I miss creating!!

I’m not going anywhere, though! You’ll still be able to shop online, find my work through amazing local retailers, and catch me at markets. My product line is staying alive and well – just in a new way

To celebrate (and say thank you), everything in the shop is 25% off through the end of the year! Discount applies in-store + online automatically, but excludes print-on-demand products.

Thank you, truly, for making this chapter so special. It’s been a dream – one built by community, color, and a whole lot of heart A huge thank you as well to my incredible staff and the wonderful Old City business community – your support, energy, and collaboration have meant the world to me and made this experience unforgettable.I also have to include a big thank you to my husband @ryan.1923 who encouraged me to be a BRAVE little artist three years ago

P.S. If you’ve been dreaming of your own screen printing setup, shoot me a DM! I’ll be selling my equipment before the end of the year.

Here’s to new beginnings, more art, and a little extra breathing room.