From Jim Stalker
Creston
I’ve decided to take my own advice and add another unique business in the old downtown. But first, before I tell you what it will be, let me give you a little history of what our business section used to be like. Now, I can’t take you too far back, I’m not that old. But, I can go into the previous century to a time when the oldest business section in town was the downtown business section in Creston. At least five barber shops, several small grocery stores, a couple of music stores, two dime stores, two furniture stores, two lumber yards, several shoe stores and general merchandise stores, appliance stores, more than a couple women’s dress shops, at least one men’s clothing store and others. Professional businesses like eye, dental, medical and legal were located on the second story of each building. Creston was a much larger town than it is today. Fires have taken their toll. Parking lots have replaced burned out buildings.
Big name stores like Montgomery Ward, J.C. Penney, Gambles, Coast to Coast, Singer Sewing Machine, Tractor Supply, United Food Stores and later, Thriftway with automatic doors, a first for Creston. Automotive dealerships Ford-Mercury, Dodge-Plymouth, Pontiac-Buick-Chevrolet, and maybe Nash. My memory fails. Along with several independent cafes, four or five hotels to cater to the passenger train customers and salesmen who traveled by rail, at least two jewelry stores, two bank and paint stores. At one point in time, there were more than 35 gas stations, many located right downtown. Not to forget Pine Street better known as Tap Street, the location of several taverns and bars. All of these stores compressed into the downtown. Every space was utilized by some kind of business.
We were a bustling community in those days. We satisfied every need, but we had to drive or walk to get to every store. I think we were the precursor to the concept of “malls” – everything under one roof, park your car once.
But, change was adrift. With so many stores, parking was a constant problem. The streets were too narrow for the huge cars we were driving. While the cities developed their own expansions, the concept of moving to the fringes became the norm in Creston.
It wasn’t anybody’s fault, it was just the movement of change and eventually some businesses did move away from the congestion of the old business section. Passenger trains became less and less, and as the town evolved around a series of moves, change was taking place. Efforts were made to slow that change. To facilitate better flow of traffic, one way streets were added along with parking meters. Later, one-ways were turned back to two-way, and the meters were removed. As the town spread out, the downtown got smaller.
But, all is not lost. The downtown, or the uptown, as we call it today, has a great secret that few people have realized. It is a great location for a new business. Why? The rent will be less and it will be a great place to start out with your unique idea. If you’ve got that winning combination, you might want to consider a move to the outskirts, but later, after you’ve built your dream store. Who knows, downtowns may become the next successful business section.