Santa, bring more small businesses to JC

Mark Wilson/News Tribune
The Dunkin' Donuts franchise located at 2207 Missouri Blvd.
Mark Wilson/News Tribune The Dunkin' Donuts franchise located at 2207 Missouri Blvd.

With the arrival of Dunkin' Donuts in November, Jefferson City residents scratched one item off their Christmas lists from years past.

In the coming year, though, an informal poll of area business leaders found they want to see new local businesses open in lieu of chain restaurants or stores.

Downtown: Nail salon or indoor playground

Like last year, Downtown Association President Crystal Tellman said there are so many downtown shops selling clothes, food and drinks she'd like to see other amenities come downtown - like an indoor playground, a nail salon or a Mexican restaurant.

"Downtown offers so much," Tellman said, adding, though, that it's lacking something like a nail salon or spa.

When asked about other businesses she wants to come to town, Tellman said she wants them to be local.

"Being with the downtown business association, we want people to come downtown," she said.

West Side: Coffee shop

Incoming Westside Business Association President Danny Robinett would love to see a locally owned coffee shop pop up near where the second Jefferson City High School on Mission Drive is being built.

Robinett acknowledged locally franchised but Minneapolis-based Dunn Brothers Coffee operates a shop at 3218 W. Edgewood Drive. Still, he said a locally owned place that could serve techies, students and support staff for the new high school would be nice.

"A lot of those types of places are on the east side of town," Robinett said.

Robinett did say, though, he thinks the new high school could drive investment in the west side, even though it hasn't developed yet.

Like other Jefferson City business leaders, Robinett didn't specify what types of restaurants or stores he'd like to come to Jefferson City. He said he wants to shop local, and he wants people to support local businesses.

"The trend is shop local," Robinett said. "So it would be nice to keep with that trend."

East Side: Continued prison redevelopment

East Side Business Association secretary Donna Deetz wants to see continued redevelopment of the area around the old Missouri State Penitentiary.

City and state lawmakers continue to finalize a 32-acre transfer of land from state to city ownership. Once the conveyance is complete, the city wants to use the land as a catalyst to build new retail shops, hotels, offices and a parkway.

Deetz said that will add to fairly recent redevelopment of the 600, 700 and 800 blocks of High Street. Relatively new staples like Avenue HQ and Prison Brews also helped reinvigorate the area.

Now, Deetz said, the MSP project could cement the rising fortunes of the area.

"We've done so much over here," Deetz said. "There's just so much over here that's starting to take off."

Deetz said she would like to see other locally owned shops and businesses open in the area.

"I'm really a small-business person, and I like to see new small businesses pop up," Deetz said.

Techies: Bike sharing

Missy Creed serves as an organizer of entrepreneur-support group 1 Million Cups Jefferson City and owns Jefferson City startup Dogwood Social, which helps local companies with digital marketing.

Creed wants a bike-sharing system similar to Nike's Biketown program, which she used during her time in Portland, Oregon.

"These orange bikes are everywhere in Portland," Creed said.

Under Nike's system, customers join the Biketown program using an app and unlock bikes at one of several stations around the city by entering a PIN on a keypad on the bike. Riders can lock bikes at any Biketown or public bike racks. Memberships start at $2.50 per trip, $12 per day, $12 per month or $99 per year.

Bike-sharing programs in cities around the globe work similarly.

With plans being crafted to improve conditions for cyclists around Jefferson City, Creed said she'd love to see a program like it in Jefferson City.

"Any bike-sharing program would be cool," Creed said.

Creed, who is of Korean descent, said a hole also remains in the area's restaurant scene after Everest Cafe and Bar closed in 2015. The restaurant served Nepalese, Indian and Korean food perfected by its owner of Nepalese decent.

"I would love to see a Korean restaurant," she added.