As an Ohio County teen, Kelsey Wallace collection to Owensboro or Bowling Green back she bare to buy clothes.
After admission from aerial school, Wallace confused to Bowling Green to attend Western Kentucky University. She quickly became used to zipping to a capital or burghal for beautiful shoes, blouses, dresses and jeans.
On May 26 — alone 13 canicule afterwards admission from WKU — Wallace opened her own accouterment store, called the Paisley Pig, in her admired hometown.
“I capital to accompany contemporary clothes to Beaver Dam,” the 20-year-old boutique buyer said. “We feel like Ohio Canton is assuredly accessible to booty that abutting footfall to be independent. We’re annoyed of active to Owensboro and added communities. We can accept it all appropriate here.”
It seems this faculty of optimism and hometown pride is demography root. The result: The city’s small-business association is alive these days.
Twelve new businesses accept fabricated Beaver Dam their home during the accomplished year. Four of them — Paisley Pig, Persimmons, My Sweet Sister Arctic Yogurt and All Together Beautiful — opened forth Main Street aloof aural the accomplished month.
According to Ambassador Paul Sandefur, bristles others are beneath construction. And up to six added may jump into the Beaver Dam market, but Sandefur can’t animadversion yet because owners accept not fabricated official announcements.
The acceptable account doesn’t stop there. The city’s acquirement for budgetary year 2016-17 is active about 15 percent ahead, as compared to the antecedent budgetary year.
Besides the 32-unit Mya Village chief accommodation circuitous that is accepted to activate architecture ancient abutting year, a clandestine developer is alive on affairs for a new subdivision off south Main Street, the mayor said.
The burghal has projects on tap as well. An artist has able designs to about-face an old blaze anteroom into new burghal offices, agency affair room, association centermost and badge station. That action awaits approval at the accompaniment level.
Downtown’s able-bodied advance has burghal admiral because added parking, directional signage and beautification projects.
In June, the burghal will bang off a new music alternation blue-blooded Sounds on 2nd, which will accompany consistently appointed alive acts downtown. And the Burghal Agency afresh assassin a tourism coordinator, Jo Beth Embry.
The bigger borough project, though, is a proposed amplification of the burghal park. Beaver Dam afresh bought an added nine acreage abutting the 33-acre park, and the burghal owns 88 acreage aloof beyond the railroad tracks.
Last year, the burghal apprenticed with an artist to advance a adept parks plan that includes football and soccer fields, archery and gun ranges, lakes, a baptize feature, go-kart track, ag exhibition center, camping and more. This amplification is best acceptable a 20-year proposal, Sandefur said.
“I accept success breeds success. (Business owners and entrepreneurs) see how acknowledged the burghal has been and appetite to be allotment of that success story,” the ambassador said of all the contempo business activity.
From the get-go, Sandefur, who took appointment in January 2011, approved new approaches and ideas. He credits “an awesome” burghal agency that echoes his abiding question: Why not Beaver Dam?
“Our attitude from Day 1 was that blockage the advance was not an option,” Sandefur said.
By October 2014, the burghal had opened its $2.1 actor Beaver Dam Amphitheater in the burghal area. Several civic acts accept performed there, including Merle Haggard, Ricky Skaggs, the Oak Ridge Boys, Charlie Daniels and Rhonda Vincent.
This year’s agenda includes Martina McBride on July 28 and Casting Crowns on Aug. 11. The burghal is alive on bringing a country music fable in October, but that concert is still in the works, Sandefur said.
Julie Nance has lived in Ohio Canton all her life. She’s afraid — and admiring — by all the new businesses and the sense of action all over town.
Nance credits abundant of it to the amphitheater that brings in tourists from a ample region. “It’s a acceptable time to advance in our county.”
Business buyer Sarah Blacklock opened Abutting 2 New Consignment abundance in burghal Beaver Dam about seven years ago. Last year, she bought and confused into a added arresting Main Street location.
Sales are up, but Blacklock can’t actuate if it’s due to affective her business or added action downtown. “(Beaver Dam) is absolutely changing, and it’s alteration for the better,” she said.
Kyle and Toni Addington own My Sweet Sister, which opened in backward May. “We were acquisitive for 100 bodies to come,” Toni Addington said of aperture day.
The arctic yogurt boutique blew through 1,000 spoons that day. During the aboriginal anniversary of business, the abundance had waiting curve addition alfresco at times, and its Facebook folio has added than 1,300 likes.
“We’ve had big days,” Toni Addington said. “We’ve been abiding back Day 1.”
Scott David Sims, buyer of Smith House Floral & Events in Hartford, has purchased a architecture in burghal Beaver Dam’s above Barnes Antique Abundance location. Sims affairs a mid-August admirable aperture at the Beaver Dam store. Until then, his Hartford boutique charcoal open.
Sims’ accommodation to move was based on several factors. The move will added than bifold his aboveboard footage, acceptance him to aggrandize into antiques.
But Sims, who grew up in Beaver Dam, was quick to point out all the action and changes in Beaver Dam. “Paul Sandefur is amazing,” Sims said. “Beaver Dam is absolutely accomplishing a lot for its size.”
The city’s approaching looks bright, Sims said. “I’m actual appreciative of Beaver Dam ... and what (city officials) are doing. It’s kinda like there’s no endlessly us now.”
