Asking prices triple on historic Commercial Street

The current bottom line on Commercial Street real estate is written in black ink.

According to Randy Ebrite, owner of the Nellie Dunn's antique, collectibles and vintage clothing store, "in the past five years, asking prices on Commercial Street buildings have tripled, and the buying prices have doubled. The town has very few historical buildings left, and that may very well increase prices of the remaining ones."

Ebrite opened his shop at 211 E. Commercial 13 years ago, and when he moved in "every store across the street and on either side of us was empty. Now the block is full, and there are 18 loft residents on just this block."

"Renovation on the street," Ebrite added, "has been slow but steady. People buy a building and renovate it top to bottom, insuring the building will be around for another 125 years. They're adding air conditioning, and bringing everything up to code."

Mary Collette and Paul Parker, husband and wife owners of Collette-Parker Restoration, own and work out of Old Firehouse #2 at Commercial and Boonville.

They own several properties on Commercial Street and have done a number of restorations, including the space for a new restaurant, Caf du Nord at 312 E. Commercial. Sonja Lallemand, former owner of Au Naturel Market and Caf, plans to open the cafe March 17, in time for the St. Patrick's Day parade. Lallemand said she chose Commercial Street because "there aren't many good restaurants on that side of town. I feel like I'm doing a service to Commercial Street and the rest of the Midtown area as well. And the neighborhood has so much character and so many interesting people. I've often gone up there just to walk around and enjoy the stores."

Collette, who is running for an at-large City Council seat, is passionate about restoration and its rejuvenating effect on Commercial Street.

She cited the former Hutchings Music store, now owned by Andy and Craig Hosmer, as a major restoration and street improvement. "It was painted bright yellow and was really beat up," she said, "and now it's absolutely stunning. It's repainted and restored, and there are four lofts upstairs that rented immediately."

Collette added, "Exterior restoration on one building shows the potential for the rest of the street. It has the effect of generating restoration around it."

For all the restoration and growth on Commercial, some property owners still voice concern whether the presence of transients who live at the Missouri Hotel and the Victory Mission negatively affects the area's value as a retail and residential venue.

According to Randy Buckmaster, who rented his loft three years ago, "Although there are a lot more residents on the street, quite honestly I feel less comfortable here now. Even though I've never been panhandled, and I've accidentally left my downstairs door unlocked overnight or my car unlocked and not had anything stolen, it still feels like the element on the street is rougher than it used to be. There's an attitude of hostility that makes me feel unwelcome. I'm coming to a point where I'm less inclined to stay, even though I love my loft space."

Collette said that it is, in fact, harder to rent properties across the street from the the mission because of the visible presence of transients.

Ebrite, however, does not believe the people living at mission are a problem. "In my opinion," he said, "90 percent of the problems I observe are not people from the mission, because inebriates are not welcome there or at the hotel. I think the problem comes from the wide area north and west of the street. For example, there's one guy who's been arrested more than 20 times for aggressive or inappropriate behavior. He's been banned from the mission and the Kitchen, but he hangs out up here anyway."

But while the debate goes on, new shops and studio spaces continue to open up on the street that Collette calls "a new creative urban environment, hopefully a destination for surrounding neighborhoods and other parts of Springfield. More artists are renting lofts as living/working spaces, and new studios are opening along the street. We have a permanent farmers' market site, and you haven't seen a sunset until you've seen it from the new Jefferson Avenue footbridge."

Collette said she believes that, in conjunction with the other center city neighborhoods, the downtown entertainment district and restored Victorian Walnut Street, an artsy Commercial Street will enrich the urban Springfield experience.

And she sees the completed Jordan Valley Park as the unifying element that will tie all of the center city neighborhoods together. "It will be," she said with a smile, " the green country heart of the urban district."

Ebrite summed up the appeal of Commercial Street.

"People come up here to see a piece of history," he said, "and to enjoy the buildings and shops and galleries. Everything's unique up here. There are no franchises on Commercial Street."