Starkville Main Street Association recognized the accomplishments of nine downtown businesses and organizations Thursday during its annual awards ceremony.
Awards were given in the categories of development, beautification, retail promotion and service.
Jennifer Prather, special events coordinator for the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, said winners were decided by general membership voting or selection by the SMSA executive board from submitted nominations, depending on the category. She said the awards reflect contributions to the SMSA’s mission of promoting commerce, residential growth and tourism downtown.
“We couldn’t have a thriving downtown if we didn’t have these projects going on, so it’s very important for us to recognize those projects done not only by the Main Street Association but by those private developments that people are investing in for our community,” Prather said.
Prather said recognizing accomplishments of investors in downtown also advertises the vitality and potential of the community to investors.
“I think it also encourages other development – people who may be on the cusp of [deciding] whether or not to invest in the downtown area and Starkville as a whole,” she said. “This helps us bring more attention to that.”
Winners included: Old Caldwell Place, Best Adaptive Re-use Project for its redevelopment of the former apartment complex into Bella Vista luxury condominiums; the city of Starkville, Best New Development Project for its plans to renovate the former Starkville City Hall into a larger police headquarters; 929 Coffee Bar, Merchant of the Year; Southern Chalk Studio, Best New Business; Mississippi State University’s Stennis Institute of Government, Main Street Partner of the Year for a study related to alleviating downtown parking issues; Chee Goods Mercantile Store, Best Historic Rehabilitation Project for preserving the facade of the former Western Auto location on University Drive; Moe’s Original BBQ and Renasant Insurance, both for facade renovations at their University Drive locations; and Aspen Bay Candles, Best New Window Display.
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