Two restaurants downtown opened their doors this past Wednesday!
OX-B’s, located at 172 S. Main Street, opened their doors May 20th to a crowd of customers excited for chicken. It was surreal to see that the line was out the door most of the day. What a dream come true to see so much life and energy back in that historic space again. Their Grand Opening brought a lot of excitement into our downtown space and really set the tone for an exciting week and weekend ahead.
101 Smokehouse, located at 138 S. Main Street, also opened May 20th. The BBQ joint was sporting a full-house majority of the day as well. There is so much joy in seeing that tables were packed, conversation was going, and enthusiastic recommendations were given to customers entering the space as others were leaving. After months of emptiness, the restaurant space was full of community and vibrance. (And if you need to see a preview of their menu and space, check out our sneak peek video from their soft opening Tuesday here.)
I know there’s been a lot of anticipation for these two restaurants and from what I’m hearing, they are living up to the hype.
This week I’ve been grateful for a lot. Grateful to see my vision of downtown come to life, grateful that others were able to see my vision and join alongside of many other businesses putting down their roots downtown, and grateful to see so many patrons supporting these businesses we’ve worked hard to get in those spaces and fit in our community.
Experience delicious food this weekend and get downtown! Don’t have fomo, don’t wait to taste what has been months (but also years) in the making!
It was so fun being out in the community this past Thursday. We got to experience being a vendor set up on South Main, the crowds circulating between restaurants and market vendors and retail. This is what community is all about.
We were so happy to see everyone that stopped by our tent to take part in our plant potting station and grab flyers with housing information. If you want to always be in the middle of the action, now’s the time to move downtown! With 4 new restaurants, our staple restaurants and retail, and several entertainment and drinkery options, our downtown has never been livelier!
Thank you to everyone who shows up and makes this community what it is. We’re making tomorrow a little brighter and this season a lot more fun.
Last week, I was a guest on a podcast to share some of the nitty gritty and challenges of bringing The Lydia from vision to reality, a process that has basically taken us from purchasing the vacant property in 2018 to completely finishing it in 2026. The challenges, setbacks, and difficulties in between have been, without exaggeration, some of the biggest of my entire life. I have lost count of the sleepless nights this project has caused. From tripling the initial construction budget, to nearly being denied hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax credits due to small missteps, to having my bank funding frozen mid-project, to leaking sprinklers in a nearly completed building, the lessons are many and they cut deep. I’ll leave it at that. If you want to hear the podcast, follow the link below!
Wow. What a week! It has been everything I hoped it would be. People, energy, community. If you’ve been following along, you know it has taken a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to get to this point of getting construction completed, restaurants open, and loft apartments ready to rent. But it has been so gratifying to be able to celebrate alongside more courageous entrepreneurs who are planting their flag in downtown Marion. Then to see crowds of people genuinely excited and proud to support, bring their friends and family downtown, and see our community through new eyes, makes all the work worthwhile.
The reason we’ve made such heavy time and capital investments into restaurant buildouts is twofold: first, they are gathering places where people experience real community. Life’s biggest moments are celebrated around restaurant tables, and I have always been passionate about making sure more community memories are made downtown. Second, restaurants provide consistent foot traffic and energy. The goal is not just that the restaurants are busy and succeed, but that locals and visitors don’t just dine and dash, but instead linger…creating a whole experience around their meal. This includes grabbing a coffee and walking around the downtown, browsing boutiques prior to dinner or before a girls-day lunch meetup, grabbing drinks with friends before dinner, or rounding out a family outing with indoor golf, pottery painting, or axe-throwing.
The options are growing all the time! Come and see for yourself!
Better Together,
Luke Henry Col 3:23
