Video: Main Street Is The Heart Of Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) –   Macon closes the doors to its Main Street Community and Houston is wanting to open more doors for downtown growth.

On the other hand, Main Street is the heartbeat for Louisville and showcases successful growth.

When you drive through the heart of Louisville, window after window is decorated with merchandise, and every building downtown is filled with a variety of businesses.

“When they ride down and they see every building is full, it’s just, it’s great for your city. It’s great for your town. It’s great for your county because that’s the heart of your community and you want it to be active and vibrant and that attracts people to your community,” says Winston County’s Marketing and Event Specialist, Amy Hillyer.

A combination of economic and community development is a big reason for the success of Main Street.

“Merchants, who are dedicated to our community. We have many businesses that have been on our Main Street 20, 30, 40, 50, up to 80 years and we also have a wonderful community, who see the importance of a vibrant Main Street, meaning that they shop in town. They want to shop with the people who support our community,” says Hillyer.

Stephanie’s Shenanigans is one of those Main Street mainstays.

The owner may have been raised in Florida, but Mississippi is where her heart is and where she got serious with an Ole Miss football player, who became her husband.

The couple planted their roots in Louisville around thirty years ago.

“One of the fellows that Tim played football with was from here. He use to come home and visit with him some and they went into business together, but that business didn’t work out for it to be a long term thing. We just know that the Lord used that to bring us here and it wasn’t this business and so when we opened this one, actually, I was a wholesaler before I was a retailer on Main Street,” says Stephanie’s Shenanigans owner, Stephanie Smith.

Smith says the hometown feel is what keeps residents shopping local and what brings outsiders to town.

“I really think because Louisville has a lot of locally owned businesses. We’re thankful for those who’ve come in, who are not and that’s fine, but I think locally owned people care about the people in their community and just the service with a smile.”

Hillyer says promotions also help attract people to Main Street.

Louisville is having one next week called Girls Night in the Moonlight, which is an after hours event for guests to shop and get a discount in participating stores.