Downtown merchants form business alliance
Before the modern-day malls and shopping strips, people had only one place to shop — downtown.
Some got all dressed up in their Sunday best, while others simply wore their everyday attire as they shopped for clothes, hardware, groceries and more.
Today, most consumers don’t go to one central location to do all of their shopping. However, downtown remains a pillar in most communities across the country and especially in Murfreesboro.
“The downtown is the heart of the community,” said Kathleen Herzog, the events coordinator for Main Street: Murfreesboro/Rutherford County, a nonprofit organization that works to maintain, enhance and promote downtown Murfreesboro.
A group of downtown merchants is working to keep that heart beating with a new organization, the Downtown Business Alliance.
“It’s a coming together of people who have a heart for the downtown,” said Bill Shacklett, one of the organizers and an owner of Shacklett’s Photography at 105 S. Church St.

