May 4, 2008

Working together: growth in a small townBy Jennifer JacobMeridianStar.com

Just a few years ago, downtown Newton, Mississippi was all but empty. The vacant buildings up and down Main Street in the small town were so profuse and created such an eyesore that a group of locals decided to paint them to look like they had businesses inside.

One building, just off the main road on Church Street, was painted as such a convincing replica of a dress shop, that many residents called the local chamber of commerce to ask when the shop would be opening.

Today, downtown Newton is still home to a profusion of murals, but the faux storefronts have been replaced with new ones — last year, the town of only 3,800 saw 11 new businesses open, and most of the buildings downtown are now occupied or soon to be occupied. This April, Gov. Haley Barbour visited the town, and performed three ribbon cuttings in one day. Next week, two new businesses will open — a shoe boutique, The Shoe Box, and a restaurant, Cook’s Bar-B-Que.

No one can say exactly what came over the people of Newton, prompting so many of them to open businesses at the same time, but there are several factors that come into play.

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