Story by Erin Lee
Photography by Casey Templeton
From the opening of Henry Shacklett’s general store after the Civil War to the fire at Main Street Bar & Grill in 2004, the evolution of downtown Harrisonburg is revealed by the businesses that used to occupy its buildings, as well as by those that currently do.
Despite downtown’s fascinating past, there have been recent attempts to revitalize the area, which has been home to a wide variety of businesses over the years. The city has continued to expand since its settlement by the Thomas Harrison family in 1737, according to “Images of America Harrisonburg.” The history of downtown tells a story of the growth that has taken place here over the years.
Downtown Renaissance“The goal is to essentially revitalize downtown, so that its appearance and economic health is restored and that people view our downtown as the center of our town for arts, shopping and culture,” Bumbaugh says.
One of the plans on the revitalization agenda is to improve the appearance of downtown. Bumbaugh hopes for new sidewalks with a historic look, benches, streetlamps, banners and trash containers. The goal is for banners featuring the Downtown Renaissance logo and a Harrisonburg city scene to run from Cantrell Avenue to downtown within the next couple of months. They are also working with individual property owners to improve the facades of their buildings through restoration work.
“There are four areas that we intend to focus on as far as marketing downtown: the people who work and live in downtown, students, tourists and local people who live in the surrounding area, particularly those who live in walking distance,” Bumbaugh says. He also hopes to add a JMU orientation component to market downtown, which he hopes will help freshmen discover what it has to offer. To attract tourists, the Harrisonburg Downtown Rennaisance is renovating the Court Square-area home of Harrisonburg’s first mayor, Isaac Hardesty, into a visitor’s center.
Bumbaugh’s hard work is paying off. “We are a Virginia Main Street Community,” he says. “The criteria for being accepted are fairly stringent and it was one of our goals to be accepted.” The Community is a national revitalization model, and each state works with its downtown communities. “They have experience that we can draw on, which is much more effective than if we were on our own,” he says. There are 20 members of the Community in Virginia, including Staunton and Waynesboro.
The uniqueness that each store brings to downtown makes the area exceptional. Many of the downtown businesses have a strong, positive opinion about the recent revitalization efforts.
Glen’s Fair Price
Walking through the doors of a store that was best known for being so crowded and packed to the brim with odds and ends, one can see that there is now much more space in the new location of Glen’s Fair Price. However, the familiar sense of down-home appeal is still present. The easily recognizmore space in its new location. However, the familiar sense of down-home appeal is still present. The easily recognizable and unique selection of Mardis Gras beads, wigs, face paint and cameras is what makes Glen’s Fair Price popular with all ages.
Gary Stiteler and his sister Melinda Bare grew up in the store that their father Glen opened in 1941. Over the years, they have changed locations three times. The first location on South Main Street is now the home of Wilson’s Jewelers. In 1950, they moved to their second store, where they remained until last year. Only a few doors down at 227 N. Main Street, they have opened in their newest location with all of the same old items.
“It originally started out as a patent-remedy drug store — which sold everything but prescriptions — camera and photography store and a lunch counter,” Stiteler says. They continued to change with the times and fill their store with products that customers demanded.
Despite an increase in merchandise, the camera shop remains one of the most frequented sections of the store. The other major reason to shop at Glen’s, at least for JMU students, is the costume shop that satisfies their endless need for theme parties, Halloween outfits and decorations.
Stiteler says he wouldn’t change a thing about his store. “We love our customers and dealing with the public. We could probably find jobs other places and make a lot more money and not work as hard, but we enjoy what we do.” As a board member of the Downtown Renaissance Committee and the former president of the Harrisonburg Retail Merchants Association, Stiteler feels strongly about the revitalization of downtown. “I see so much change to downtown and I know Harrisonburg has grown immensely, and in another five years the JMU population could be 20,000, which would bring even more students and faculty,” Stiteler says. “We hope that more students find out about downtown. There’s a lot to offer.”
JMU Senior Jared Shenk who grew up in Rockingham County, is well aware of the evolution of downtown Harrisonburg. “I want to see continued revitalization of downtown and more focus on bringing businesses there, and taking a little less focus off places like Harrisonburg Crossing,” Shenk says. He remembers when there used to be a Woolworth’s on the Court Square block where Artful Dodger and Calhoun’s are now located. “It’s becoming more of a shopping area than when I was a kid.”
One change that he would like to see is more housing in the downtown area to accompany the small businesses. “I’d love to live downtown; there are just not that many opportunities.”
Ragtime Fabrics
Some business owners come downtown because of its innate sense of nostalgia. Laura “Belle” Stemper is one of them. Stemper opened Ragtime Fabrics on March 1, 2003, after having worked two jobs downtown as a JMU student in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She worked at Eden Restaurant and Jo’s Restaurant, which have since closed.
“I like the heart of downtown and the people — there are a wide variety of interests and cultures, a very diverse population,” Stemper says. “Too bad it doesn’t have all the old buildings that it used to.”
Stemper’s building used to be the Rockingham Motor Co., and it still has the original stained-glass windows. Even though she remodeled the building for her business, she does not own it yet. She says she would someday like to, which may be possible with the downtown revitalization.
“I am for the downtown revitalization but, for all of the efforts, if we don’t have owner-occupied buildings then the pendulum will swing the wrong way and it won’t last,” Stemper says. “The stores that survived the big ‘mall exodus’ were owner-occupied.”
Stemper opened her own business because she wanted something else to occupy her time. “I wanted to do something more since my kids were older,” she says. She still helps her husband Casey with their remodeling business.
Since the store opened two years ago, it has become what Stemper calls the “Glen’s of fabric stores.” They sell a little bit of everything. Merchandise includes auto-reconditioning supplies, upholstery, yarn, Husqvarna/Viking sewing machines, beads, notions and, of course, every kind of fabric imaginable. They also give sewing, crocheting, knitting and spinning lessons upon request for $8 an hour.
Harrisonburg resident Kathleen Temple offers her veteran tailoring services and quality couture experience there. “Ragtime is a really unique and fascinating fabric store; it’s unlike any other I’ve been in, and I’ve been in a lot,” Temple says. “Being in downtown Harrisonburg, we have a wide variety of customers.” She attributes that to the JMU and EMU students as well as Harrisonburg residents and “rural folks.”
On Thursday nights Stemper has organized a knitting circle. “It used to be that Thursday evening was the day to shop in downtown where all of the stores stayed open late in the days before the mall,” she says with pride. “I want to revive that, so I stay open an hour later for our knitting circle.” In keeping with the times, Stemper has created a Web site, www.ragtimefabrics.com.
The store still maintains a sense of the past. It is this welcoming atmosphere that is sure to charm customers.
James McHone Antique Jewelry
James McHone is a busy man. He is most often found chatting with clients during store hours. It’s easy to see why, since his infectious personality makes him quite entertaining and easy to talk to.
It is apparent that he is involved in the student community of Harrisonburg. He gives out his store T-shirts like candy, and if he sees you wearing one on designated days he will give you $100.
McHone opened his store about 20 years ago, specializing in antique jewelry and diamonds. The store is not large, but it is packed with baubles and gems for the discerning jewelry purchaser.
He also buys, sells and trades jewelry, especially if it is older. “Although it doesn’t have to be old to be estate,” he says. “You know how that goes.”
As a specialty shop, he says, “You could have this store on the second story of a bank building and probably do as much business because people seek you out.”
McHone is a gung-ho supporter of the revitalization of downtown. “I was born in this town,” he says. “I’ve watched it change.”
As a member of the Downtown Revitalization board since its conception two years ago, he has been hoping to see downtown become more student-friendly. “I’d like for JMU to be like the University of Virginia and Georgia where the downtown runs up to the university,” he says. “JMU makes this town, and if it’s going to work, there needs to be a merger of the two.” He would really like to see an anchor store like Abercrombie & Fitch that would draw students downtown. Other specialty stores, including clothing and a wilderness store, top his wishlist. “We already have great restaurants, Dave’s [Taverna] and Calhoun’s.”
He thinks that free taxi service from downtown would draw more students, especially if there were more nightlife. “You have to be realistic about what you’re going to draw,” he says. “I’d love to see a hotel or bed and breakfast for Parents’ Weekend and Homecoming.”
Wide-eyed, McHone compares downtown Harrisonburg to downtown Charlottesville. “Charlottesville started 15 years ago, and it’s just now getting good.”
McHone has great expectations for the downtown area, and he hopes that his dreams will come true soon, but in the meantime he continues to wait patiently.
Indian-American Café
After shopping in downtown Harrisonburg, a bit of cultural cuisine can make for a well-rounded experience. Patrons of the Indian-American Café encounter the strong scent of curry and spices. It is a smell that grows on the senses and can be uniquely pleasant. Although the cuisine is Indian, the café has a charming European look with a few scattered posters of India and Nepal.
Owner Shyam Shrestha moved his restaurant from busy Washington, D.C. to quieter downtown Harrisonburg in 1993. “Harrisonburg was a very nice place with the mountains,” Shrestha says. “It was so peaceful and quiet with such nice people.” Having been here for more than 10 years, he admits that downtown has changed a lot. “There are more restaurants now,” he says. “I like it when something new comes in though — I hope that more people will come in with the Renaissance.”
The café is in good company with various other ethnic restaurants like Dave’s Taverna, which serves Greek food, and Luigi’s, which serves Italian. “It would be nice if people would like to visit someplace different every now and then, and that’s what they’ll find here,” Shrestha says.
Despite all of the revitalization efforts for downtown Harrisonburg, Bumbaugh does not fail to recognize the value of existing businesses like Glen’s Fair Price, Ragtime Fabrics, James McHone Antique Jewelry and Indian-American Café. “Each of these businesses are locally owned specialty stores that have been in business for a number of years,” Bumbaugh says. “Many people value locally owned businesses because they’re unique, not like chain places across the country.”