Front Street nearly full

Published 5:01 pm Monday, October 6, 2003

By Staff
A new challenge confronts downtown Dowagiac -- full occupancy!
With the recent signing of two new leases in September, all but one storefront on Front Street in the central business district is fully occupied, Vickie Phillipson, program director of the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), announced Friday.
Downtown Dowagiac welcomes the opening in early October of All About Kids, an apparel store for infants and children which will also carry maternity wear. The new retail store will be located with the Alan Fricke storefront at Front and Commercial streets.
Laurie Anne's, an upscale resale shop for women's apparel that will also feature antique and shabby chic furniture, is scheduled to open in late October in the recently-renovated Masonic Center on Front Street.
Located within the former site of Kentucky Fried Chicken, now owned by Jim Kladis of Sister Lakes, is Daylight Donuts that Kladis will open in November. Interior renovation of the restaurant is now taking place.
Dowagiac's central business district also witnessed the major expansion in August of Suite Dreams, an upscale gift store which now carries furniture and an expanded merchandise line of home accessories.
Phillipson said the expansion from an approximate 1,200-square-foot storefront to the former Woolworth's building, providing more than 5,000 square feet, transformed Suite Dreams into a major anchor store for the downtown.
Suite Dreams wasn't the only business to relocate and expand this summer.
As Andersen's Floor Store moved onto Front Street from Pennsylvania Avenue, it expanded into home decor, more than doubling its space.
Shortstop Collectibles also shifted its location on Front Street in late July, expanding its merchandise showroom from 1,200 square feet to 3,000.
Phillipson said these relocations and expansions signify a very positive barometer for the individual businesses and for the economic vitality of the downtown.
Another sign the central business district is thriving is the renewed interest of individuals who are purchasing downtown storefronts as investment property.
Following on the heels of the recent purchase by Kladis of the former KFC properties, Phillipson said another three storefronts will be coming under new ownership later this fall.
One of the most significant changes to downtown Dowagiac is the opening in late summer of Wood Fire Italian Trattoria.
Since the first of the year, Dowagiac's central business district has also welcomed the opening of Darker Side Tanning and Coby Jack's Health Food and Deli on Front Street; Simple Communications on Pennsylvania Avenue; and The Rose Gallery of Dowagiac Art Guild, adjacent to City Hall between Front Street and Depot Drive.