Shop owners bouncing back four years after revitalization

When Cynthia Elliot and her husband started their life on the square in historic downtown McKinney 22 years ago, they took it upon themselves to keep watch over the lifeless center until more people followed.

Known as the "square keepers," the owners of Cynthia Elliot Boutique off East Virginia Street said it was up to them to keep the fires burning.

"It was kind of in disrepair, a lot of owners had buildings but they weren't occupying them, they just leased them, so they didn't really take an interest in what was happening in McKinney," Elliot said. "My husband and I lived above the store before we had kids, and so before we'd go to bed at night we'd check and make sure everything was OK."

Today, historic downtown is a bustling sect of shops, restaurants and nightlife. But it has taken much to get there. And with more empty space yet to fill, the prideful flagship of McKinney is still a work in progress.

A combination of hard working entrepreneurs, like-minded developers and infrastructure renovations on behalf of the city has created a hub of activity that once did not exist.

In the mid-90s, current city councilman Don Day saw the square's potential and began renovating many of its dilapidated structures.

"McKinney was dead. You could fire a cannon down the street and you wouldn't hit a soul," Day said. "About a third of the buildings were boarded up and falling in, and another third were just locked up. But there was a lot of historic charm; it had a lot of potential. And the prices were reasonable."

To date, Day - who owns DFA Development, Inc. - has renovated 28 buildings on and around the square.

From the beginning, Day said he believed the key to success on the square was entertainment in the form of food service, a vision made evident in the eateries Day currently owns half of, such as Rick's Chophouse, Sauce on the Square and Grotto. Of the 20 restaurants on the square, about two-thirds of them also offer live music on various nights.

Day said he considers these restaurants like the anchors of a shopping mall.

"These restaurants in downtown McKinney serve about a million to 1.5 million meals a year," Day said. "That's really the draw. What we've created down here is a retail/entertainment district and it's been very successful. It's been a work in progress, it's still a work in progress."

In 2006, the city launched a study to look at the present and future needs of its older sections. The study determined that to ensure continued growth and development in the area, critical infrastructure, including aesthetic and functional components, of historic downtown must be renovated.

In January 2008, construction began on the square's infrastructure. The project, which was completed in the fall of that same year, consisted of the installation of new waterlines on all streets, improved sewer lines, asphalt overlay of existing street pavement and reconstructed intersections made entirely of brick. Additional parking spaces were also made to create easier accessibility to businesses.

The project also provided for a more pedestrian-friendly downtown. Sidewalks were widened on all four streets surrounding the center square to facilitate patio seating. Improved street lighting, signage, landscaping and beautification efforts created easier navigation added to the overall aesthetics.

Businesses remained open during construction, and although alternate parking helped offset the construction blockages, merchants recall those nine months as perhaps the most difficult period for them.

"When they did the total renovation of the square they tore it up and that was very difficult, a lot of stores went out of business," Elliot said. "It was very, very challenging, we're still recuperating from that. "

Danielle Carroll is one such shopper who went on hiatus from the square during the reconstruction, and came back about a year ago. The Stonebridge resident brought her mother and family friend to the square on Thursday for shopping and lunch. While the trio rested on a park bench, they reflected on how much the renovations have helped create a more comfortable, shopper-friendly atmosphere.

"Now that the construction is over it's very nice here," Carroll said. "It's been a huge effort but it's paid off. I come here much more often now. It's a destination."

With a large percentage of consumers being women, Day said the key to success on the square is catering to young, educated and affluent mothers. While the future of downtown will undoubtedly consist of more shopping and eating, Day said one of his next goals is to bring in more urban residential housing for its young workers. Day, who also owns a couple of apartments nearby, said the flood of applicants he receives when one opens up made him realize the need for more trendy, studio-type apartments.

"They work here, they play here, they'd like to live here," Day said. "We have a large captive audience of young [people]. They're not yet highly affluent folks and we need to provide housing for them."

Since the revitalization, competition has grown for a spot on the square and has reached national levels, as indicated by rental space rates. In 1996, downtown leases were approximately $4 per square foot, Day said. Today, the average is approximately $18 per square foot, he said. Better locations and small spaces rent for more, whereas large spaces and stores in lower traffic areas reduce the rate, he said.

With outside investors fixated on the square, Day said the need for hard working, business-oriented merchants is more crucial than ever. And with Collin County being one of the most affluent counties in the state, he said he is confident the square will continue to be home to a diverse group of small businesses geared towards successfully serving the demographics living among them.

"We have a very well educated, affluent community and it's grown rapidly," Day said. "It has created problems in that growth, but the problems have helped. The reason why it helped downtown in converting [it] from the old antique mall model to the entertainment district was better shops. It's not just the love of history, we're greedy capitalists, also."

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