An artist’s eye can be powerful. It has the ability to seek out new perspectives and create beauty in unexpected places.
One of the most popular booths at Artsfest this year was downtown Springfield retailer Mick Whitcomb. Instead of paintings, pottery or photographs, the owner of Nomad World Products brought vintage typewriters, fans and projectors a mile eastward on Walnut Street.
He cleverly integrated classic Edison light bulbs to transform household items typically gathering dust in closets or under beds into impressive works of art.
Sales were brisk as Mick and his bride Paige hustled to keep enough retrofitted appliances in stock. They were approached by several patrons who volunteered their own heirlooms for a new use.
Mick touts the process as “upcycling” – reusing discarded objects or material in such a way as to create a product of a higher quality or value than the original, according to the Oxford dictionary. It contrasts typical recycling processes to convert materials into items of lesser quality.
This sustainability trend has implications well beyond fashionable home accessories.
BuildingsMany of Springfield’s iconic structures will begin a new chapter over the next 18 months. The Heer’s and Woolworth buildings will be converted from department stores into loft apartments, offices and restaurants. The worn out Woodruff and McDaniel offices will be replaced by upscale student housing with modern amenities. The northeast corner of Park Central Square will continue its metamorphosis from a college bar, law office and church into the History Museum for Springfield-Greene County. Menzies Auto repair shop will be leveled for the construction of a mixed-use development of loft apartments and first-floor commercial space.
A few key landmarks downtown have yet to find their new vision.
The Newberry building, owned by Springfield’s Morris family, on the southwest corner of the square remains a renovation opportunity with needs. The Sterling Hotel will be the sole boarded building on Park Central East, though its neighbor down the street is recently vacant after Parlor 88 shuttered. The home of troubled nightclub Traffic anxiously awaits new retail storefronts and loft residents upstairs.
PlacesJordan Valley Park, IDEA Commons and Commercial Street are all places that have experienced remarkable transformations from an industrial age to amenities and services for a knowledge-based economy.
City Utilities has the opportunity to redefine public transportation for southwest Missouri with its new bus transfer station at College Street and Main Avenue. Collaborative design, exceptional public art and links to the area’s proud history can beckon a new era of urbanites to be more active and less dependent on cars.
The Lofts at College Station – the new home of Moxie Cinema – provides a model of how infill projects on vacant parcels and parking lots over the next five to 10 years could change perceptions of St. Louis Street from desolate to vibrant.
BusinessesTechnology continues to alter almost every industry. Doing things the same ways they’ve always been done simply isn’t an option. Local retailers must compete with their neighbors down the street, sophisticated big-box franchises and a litany of online rivals. Information has burgeoned from the local newspaper and radio stations to targeted apps across every platform. Communication has never been so ubiquitous or frustrating.
A new bookstore, called Bookmarx, will be coming to Walnut Street in the next few weeks. Capitalizing on the charm of a downtown bookstore won’t be enough. It also must create value that sets it apart from bigger and virtual competitors.
Entrepreneurs should be inspired by Nomad’s success at Artsfest. Customers are drawn to local businesses that can find new ways to create value by upcycling creativity and authenticity.
Rusty Worley, executive director of Urban Districts Alliance, can be reached at rusty@itsalldowntown.com.[[In-content Ad]]
