We are officially halfway through the year 2026. We’re about to enter Q3, we have many projects on the horizon, and time is flying by. But, in the midst of all the chaos and renovations, we wanted to pause at this halfway point and reflect. 2026 has been full of restoration challenges and successes, and now is the perfect time to see what the team accomplished in 6 months’ time. See how far we’ve come this year and what 2026 has already brought us.
New Faces Downtown: We’ve had 27 new residential leases signed this year, which means at LEAST 27 new faces in our downtown!
Residential Units Completed/Renovated: 16! Over the course of 4 different buildings, we’ve built or renovated 16 residential units so far this year.
Maintenance Tickets Resolved: 392 maintenance tickets have been resolved so far in 2026. Our maintenance team works tirelessly, 24/7 to take care of everything from leaky pipes to broken AC to overflowing dumpsters, and lots of other [usually unpleasant] surprises along the way!
Midterm Units Online: 2 new midterm units have been added to our midterm stay portfolio. Two of our one-bedroom Lydia Lofts were set up as 6-month rentals, which have worked out perfectly for traveling healthcare and construction workers. They love Marion, and the downtown accommodations!
Stays in our Midterm/Short term Rental Units: 671 stays so far this year that people have spent in our downtown in our midterm and short term furnished lofts!
Celebration/Events: We’ve hosted 3 celebrations/big events so far this year. We’ve had a huge Grand Opening/Ribbon Cutting for our Lydia Lofts, an Open House for our premium lofts, and a Lydia Building Completion Project Celebration!
New Businesses Opened: We’ve welcomed 4 new businesses so far this year, which I know many of you are familiar with. We’ve welcomed Whit’s Frozen Custard, Lazeez Grill, 101 Smokehouse, and OX-B’s to our downtown. These restaurants have helped nearly double our dining options downtown and are a constant source of energy!
Construction and Renovation Investment: We are at $1.2M in construction and renovations for the first half of 2026. This is our investment in our community, and we do not take that lightly, so here’s a heavy number to end the First Half of 2026 Stats with!
Here’s to the second half of 2026, we hope the changes we make impact more than our list of statistics; we hope it makes an impression on your weekdays, weekends, and overall community experience. Marion is worth all the cost, all the effort, and all the celebration.
Our Main Street Hospitality Group Airbnbs are having a Flash Sale! $99/night for the next 2 weeks! These lofts are perfect for incoming business travelers, family visiting, and holiday stays. Be comfortable and conveniently located to shops, dining, coffee, entertainment, and a neighborhood market, all just mere steps away!
Our Airbnb website has officially moved! After all the chaos, we’ve finally got a new and improved website. Visit our revitalized website staydowntownmarion.com for all your overnight stay needs!
Even with all the trials and toil involved in creating the metrics above, I am grateful that I get to do the work I do, with the people I do. So much of the credit for the energy, traffic, businesses, and new residents must go to the HDG team as well as the entrepreneurs who are working and sacrificing to make not just their business successful, but in turn, our downtown and community as a whole. Progress and success are never linear, and I know all these folks are on the same journey with me…some very high days when things are going right, and some really low days when challenges come or people aren’t coming through the door.
I know you know this, and if you are a frequent reader, you here this often, but…all of this work is for naught, without folks like you coming out to consistently and intentionally support our downtown restaurants, shops, entertainment venues, and events. Thank you for continuing to show up, tell your friends, family, and coworkers, and bring them downtown with you! It is making all the difference.
Cheers to the second half of the year. You have my full commitment to continue to do all I can to make our downtown the best it can be. We are working on everything from repainting storefronts that are now a few years old, mending and repairing small things (and big things) that need some attention on our historic buildings, as well as looking to the future and which projects we believe will be impactful in moving us forward.
See you downtown!
Better Together,
Luke Henry Col 3:23
