Shreve looks to build on its downtown tradition
While the village of Shreve has shown a good amount of resilience over the decades, more investment is needed to sustain the downtown.
Editor's note: This is the first of a series on Wayne County's villages and smaller towns.
“For the last three to four years the economy has been picking up here in downtown Shreve. People are now craving this small-town feeling; they’ve missed it,” said Rich Edington, owner of the Shreve Hardware and Supply Store.
Like small towns across the United States, the village of Shreve has been experiencing competition from the big box stores for decades now. Having lived in Shreve his entire life, Edington remembers back to the late 1970s when the Shreve downtown had a ladies’ clothing store, a men's clothing store, a dime store, two hardware stores, a few restaurants, a few bars and a shoe store.
Some longstanding stores remain in Shreve’s downtown area including the Shreve Hardware and Supply Store and the Des Dutch Essenhaus restaurant. The hardware store has been in Edington’s family since 1959, and he credits much of its success to good customer service with personalized attention.
But how do things look moving forward for Shreve’s downtown area?
With a population of only 1,500, the municipality is quite resourceful working with an annual budget that leaves little wiggle room. In collaboration with village council members, Mayor Yvonne Hendershott is strategic about every investment made into the town. The initial priority was updating the water plant, a quarter-million-dollar project completed a few years ago. Next on the list are upgrades to roads and the downtown infrastructure.
And now with the construction of Triway’s “one campus” concept, Shreve’s elementary school will move over to the new campus. Hendershott framed the change as an opportunity.
“Triway is willing to work with us on plans for the old building — we hope to be able to put in a community center or something that helps the people of Shreve,” Hendershott said.
That seems to be the secret to Shreve’s success: seeing opportunities in community assets. “One of the things that is a real benefit for a small town like Shreve is the downtown area,” said Chuck Visocky, owner of Shreve’s HeBrews Coffee Shop.
Not all small towns are lucky enough to still have a traditional downtown open for investment.
“There are some quality structures that are not being taken advantage of downtown. We have a historic hotel going back to the mid-1800s. The hotel has sat idle for years. Chris Steiner (owner of Steiner Lumber) purchased the building and is starting to renovate. Small town hotels that go back to the 1800s are not that common, and we see that building as part of the downtown comeback effort,” Visocky said.
Another notable historic building is the armory. “It’s an amazing building. It has arched, bricked entrances in every doorway. You can still see the beautiful wood beams across the roof structure. It really is not common to have this type of architecture in a small town,” Visocky said.
The armory is large enough that it could be a centerpiece of activity for the town and for tourism.
Given his appreciation for the town’s character and unique strengths, it is not surprising Visocky chose Shreve as the location for his coffee shop. “When we took on the space for HeBrews, it had not undergone a renovation for years. We want to take the treasured buildings we already have and bring value to them,” he said of his process for renovating the coffee shop space about three years ago.
Visocky described his motivation. “People would say, 'It will be great to have a coffee shop in Shreve, but you might not want to put more money into this small town.' This actually fueled our desire to move forward putting in a quality business here,” he said.
Not everyone had the vision that the Shreve downtown area was worth revitalizing, but Visocky's intuition was correct. Now the coffee shop is a bustling hub for networking, events and meet-ups. Patrons frequently note that the coffee shop turned out beautiful and they are blessed by such a nice establishment being in Shreve.
Hendershott shares Visocky’s vision. “We have a great foundation to work with. We have a good group of council members who are all on the same page. And really, the people are the ones who make the village. We wouldn't be where we are if it weren't that people care so much,” Hendershott said.
Indeed, community volunteers are another asset that has made the ongoing revitalization of Shreve’s downtown possible. It helps that young families are moving to Shreve. “The return of young people is a sign the town is thriving. There is an interest in the area,” Edington said.
While Shreve has shown a good amount of resilience, more investment is needed to sustain the downtown.
“We have a lot of people who care and are invested. What we need is a coordinated effort,” Visocky said.
But Shreve appears to be heading in the right direction, and locals can see a light at the end of the tunnel. With a few more coordinated investments downtown, Visocky said, “We'll really have something going. That will be a tipping point for Shreve.”