MOUNT VERNON – Pam Rose fondly remembers downtown Mount Vernon from her childhood.
“I think of the movie theater,” she told the Mount Vernon News. “I think of the banks. I think of Mavis Sporting Goods.”
Of course, times have changed and so has downtown, Rose noted. A lifelong resident of Mount Vernon and an educator, she was recently elected to the board of directors of Main Street Mount Vernon.
“I think the biggest change we had was bringing our colleges downtown,” said Rose, who is the Student Services director for Mount Vernon City Schools.
The movie theater she remembers is now occupied by Central Ohio Technical College.
“COTC was right there from the beginning,” Rose said. “Of course, Kenyon redoing the Wright Center and taking the Buckeye Candy building and really making it into a showcase were bright spots as well.”
The Grand Hotel was a big boost, bringing people downtown for weddings and other special events.
“I think that helped to revitalize our restaurants, because it brought people down there,” Rose said. “We have students during the daytime, and our banks downtown continue to be a strong downtown force.”
One possible improvement downtown would be more outside dining, she said.
“You see in bigger cities where maybe they have closed off one lane of traffic so the sidewalks could be deeper,” Rose said. “I don’t know (if) that would work in Mount Vernon, but I would personally like to see more outside dining here.”
She believes downtowns are the heart of all cities.
“When I travel, we always end up on Main Street or the town square,” Rose said. “It’s always very interesting, because I find myself comparing other downtowns to what we have.”
Mount Vernon compares favorably, she noted.
“I look at other downtowns away from here that have boarded-up businesses,” Rose said. “Or they have businesses that are just kind of taking up space. But our downtown is very purposeful and intentional, and I think those are two very powerful things.”
