By Dana Kroll, Uptown Marketing and Communications Specialist
Is it just us, or does our district seem to be extra alive with change, lately? If you’ve noticed this too, you’re right!
Check out these stats: In just the first 5 months of 2026 so far, our district has said farewell to 8 businesses and hello (or welcome soon!) to 14 newcomers. We’ve also celebrated 165 anniversaries including several impressive milestones and saw several “changes of the guards” in which established businesses entered fresh chapters of operation via new ownership.
While this can seem like a lot of change in a rather little span of time, change can be a reliable indicator of a healthy main-street environment. To offer context that connects, we’ll summarize just a bit: A healthy small business district should always be evolving, and that’s a good thing. While it can be tough to see familiar storefronts change, steady turnover is a natural part of a thriving ecosystem, where new ideas are constantly being tested and fresh energy keeps the district moving forward. In fact, about half of small businesses (nationally) turn over every five years, making room for new concepts, while long-standing favorites continue to anchor the community. The blend of stability and change helps to keep places like our district vibrant, resilient, and worth exploring again and again.
For further food for though, here is some interesting reading from both the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Commerce Institute.
It is on this reflection that we announce the following, with gratitude for all:
RECENT OR UPCOMING FOND FAREWELLS TO
Basic Bee Boutique (closure)
Modish Moth (relocation)
Lady Monarch (relocation)
Good Truckin’ Diner (closure)
Rainbow Resources (closure)
Mi Bella Guatemala (relocation)
WMEAC (relocation)
NU Grow (closure)
RECENT OR UPCOMING “HELLO NEW NEIGHBORS!” TO
Cocoon Art Space
CouCou Bakehouse
Dreamers Tattoo Collective
Eastown Pottery
Firme Estilo/Con Amor Studios
GR USA Apparel
Ikigai Head Spa
Kate Dupree Studio
Our Brewing Company
Picnic on Wealthy
Porch Light Gatherings
Riverside Market
Sarah Sherman Samual Studio
Sugah Please
*All imagery above is courtesy respective businesses
RECENT CONGRATS ARE IN ORDER TO
Cherry Hill Market (recent expansion of grocery goods to include produce and more!)
Smitty’s Specialty Beverage (under new ownership!)
Speciation Cellars (under new ownership!)
MILESTONE ANNIVERSARIES – These establishments each celebrate(d) a major anniversary between January and May of this year:
Wealthy Theatre (celebrated 115 years in January)
Hope Lutheran Church (celebrated 112 years in January)
Fulton Street Farmers’ Market (celebrates 104 years in May)
Cherie Inn (celebrated 102 years in April)
Veenstra’s Garage (celebrating 101 years in January)
Van’s Pastry Shopped (celebrated 96 years in January)
Valley City Linen (celebrated 96 years in January)
Club Cruisers (celebrated 79 years in January)
Verhey Carpets (celebrated 77 years in January)
Boerkel and Boerkel (celebrated 76 years in January)
*All imagery above is courtesy respective businesses
For a look at all 165 (!) Uptown establishments who have celebrated an anniversary from January through May of 2026, click here.
A note, as you peruse: Gathering this information is an ongoing crowd-sourcing effort and we do our best to be accurate. Did we miss something? Do you have some historical business insight to share with us? Let us know!