By Loretta Humble/Around the Town
With this gorgeous, cool weather, I decided to enjoy my breakfast one morning downtown in the pocket park. In case you are wondering what the pocket park is, it’s the empty lot between Tanner’s building on the corner of E Mitcham and S Terry and the empty green building on S Terry. The park is shaping up little by little these days. It’s been disheartening in the past to see beer cans, cigarette butts and trash blowing around town but we are working hard to improve that and things are really looking up. Local artist Haley Bonner will be designing a mural for the park soon which will really add color and bring the park to life. We look forward to more people enjoying that area!
One of the buildings across from the Rusty Circus has been purchased by homebuilder Jeff Gaddis and we look forward to seeing that space improved. The old Roberts building is slowly coming together. Many a dumpster later, we are still digging our way out of that place, but too much history to give up on it. The front of the building has been painted and my husband uncovered the original windows to the old building and plugged up that gaping hole up top with an old Malakoff Dept Store sign (something told me to buy that old sign over a year ago), fits pretty well and serves it purpose.
The old bank building/city hall will be ready to occupy in a couple of weeks. This has been a fun project for us and really is beautiful with its original vault, exposed brick and wood ceilings. We hope to rent this building out soon. Wouldn’t it be great to have a tea room or coffee shop downtown? Maybe even a small diner with down-home cooking and soda shop.
So many possibilities for downtown Malakoff…
Remember the Cornbread/Scarecrow Festival is just around the corner on October 22, lots to do and should be a great day! See ya around town…