Downtown Florence, especially Historic Main Street, is always a work in progress, evolving to adapt to changing tastes, economic conditions and new growth.
Candi Frizzell, who works as a visitor experience manager for the Pinal County Historical Society Museum, grew up in Florence during the 1960s and early 1970s when Main Street and downtown had a strong assortment of businesses.
“There was always something happening,” she said. “There was a lot of activity downtown and people supported the activities.”
Flash forward to the 1990s, and Main Street and downtown were still crackling with action. That was the downtown Florence Councilmember Nicole Buccellato grew up around.
“Main Street for me growing up was the place to be,” she said.
Buccellato fondly remembers a homemade ice cream shop called Jim Bob’s, a tortilla factory that “made the most amazing tortillas” and a general store that doubled as a café and souvenir shop.
There were also plenty of things for kids and teens on Main Street, such as Future Stars, which offered an arcade and batting cage combo, Buccellato said.
“We had a teen center where the town’s fitness center is located at now and it would be the place to often find your kids after school and at night, especially on the weekends,” she said. “The teen center often had theme nights such as movie night, game nights and dances.”
Adults had their own places with bars the Oak Room, Gibby’s and My Office.
“Back when I was growing up it was an amazing balance. If you needed a last-minute gift you could find it on Main Street. If you needed something for the youth to do after school, we had that as well,” Buccellato added. “If one wanted to entertain guests from out of town or get a drink with friends after work there was plenty of nightlife at one of the bars to choose from.”
Today, it takes events such as Road to Country Thunder and Hometown Holidays or the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce’s Third Fridays and Farmers Market on Saturdays to get large numbers of residents to come to Main Street on evenings and weekends.
Changes
Main Street’s bars and nightlife began to fade in the early 2000s, according to Florence Mayor Tara Walter, as buildings began to change owners or remained on the market because of the high costs of restoring up to 100-year-old edifices.
“Then the Great Recession sent the real estate market and economy into a tailspin, exacerbating many of these issues and slowing Main Street’s redevelopment,” Walter said. “Following the Great Recession, Amazon and home-based retail continued to gain in popularity, putting new pressures on local businesses. With COVID, those pressures peaked.”
Florence Councilmember Michelle Cordes only moved to town nine years ago, missing the Main Street that Frizzell and Buccellato remember. Instead, she’s seen the challenges new businesses to Main Street are facing today.
“If you are looking to start a small/mom-and-pop business it is very hard to buy or lease a space that doesn’t require thousands of dollars just to bring it to code,” she said. “So many buildings have been left neglected and those that are in good shape are either not available or occupied.”
But the town has made moves to try to ease the costs for new businesses trying to get established on Main Street.
In trying to recover from the negative economic effects of the pandemic, the town created the Downtown Commercial Rehabilitation Program, which set aside $250,000 in grant funding for use in downtown redevelopment.
“Also, the town of Florence continues to offer the façade program to assist with exterior improvement projects,” Walter said. “These programs have been a great success and are helping many businesses make improvements that will enhance both their buildings and Main Street overall.”
This is in keeping with the town’s General Plan, which calls for Florence to “provide sufficient funding to create an environment that fosters redevelopment. By taking an active role in establishing vision, by leading and providing for funding of redevelopment activities and fostering a positive business climate,”
New life
Harvey Krauss, the town’s economic development director, has seen a number of businesses move onto Main Street in the past months. They include the Ponderosa Dispensary at 363 N. Main Street, located in the old Charles Rapp Saloon building. Ponderosa opened on April 13 and sells medicinal and recreational pot.
Coming to Main Street this summer will be the pub The Irish Cowboy and the restaurant Your Behind BBQ – Birds & Bones, which has taken over the storefront once occupied by Grace’s Place.
Despite its challenges, downtown gives Florence an advantage over other towns.
“Gilbert and Chandler have had to work on their downtowns. They are fast-growing communities but they had to develop over time and create a market for the downtown,” Krauss said. “If you look, all successful communities have strong downtowns and they’re sort of a focal point in a community and we already have that. I think we’re one step ahead of most communities in that regard.”
Walter said Main Street and downtown offer a strong foundation for future business growth that will be in keeping with the town’s long history.
“I’m looking forward to the new businesses coming to Main Street,” Walter said. “I believe they will help diversify what Main Street has to offer while maintaining our downtown’s charm and character.”
Walter added that her vision of a future Main Street is one filled with stores, restaurants and nightlife that appeal to visitors and residents alike.
Buccellato would like to see the same, plus recreate for young people her experiences of growing up in Florence.
“I’d really like to see the youth being social again at a teen center or gathering at the square to hang out,” she said.
We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.
Janet Perez News Editor | Queen Creek &
San Tan Valley @AzNewsmedia
Meet Janet Janet Perez joined Independent Newsmedia as editor of the Queen Creek Independent and Florence Independent in 2020. She started her career in 1989 with the Gannett-owned El Paso Times. In 1992, she moved to Tempe and has worked in newspapers, magazines, radio and television. She left Arizona for three years to work at New Mexico State University and Baylor University before returning to work at Arizona State University. Missing the business, she went back to journalism in 2017.
Community: A long-time pet owner, she supports animal welfare causes.
Education: University of Texas at El Paso with a BA in journalism and a minor in political science.
Random Fact: She had a head full of random facts.
Hobbies: Reading, watching documentaries, cooking and playing with her dogs.
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