Harrisonburg, Va. (WHSV) – If you haven’t been in downtown Harrisonburg lately, things might seem a little different.
New businesses have sprung up in the downtown area.
“It’s a classic old-school diner. We sold hot dogs, hamburgers, chili bowls, all-day breakfast and were open until midnight or later, said David Sanders, managing partner at Texas Inn.
The Texas Inn is one of the first new restaurants to make its downtown debut.
Saunders has two children at JMU and thought what better place to bring a diner-style restaurant.
“I was riding by and wanted to have a quick lunch at Jess’, and it was closed. It made me very sad. It made me start thinking well, maybe I can bring another one here,” Saunders said.
The Texas Inn isn’t the only new storefront downtown.
“Simplicty has now moved there. They bought their own building, and that’s a big step for a small business owner. The owner of the business also bought that coffee shop. There’s another movement there, so by the end of the year, East Market Street will look completely different, said Andrea Dono, executive director of Harrisonburg’s Downtown Renaissance.
That’s not all, a Mexican food truck is now stationed in front of Kline, and the University Outpost has opened a second location downtown for all your game day needs.
HDR is a great partner in helping these small businesses thrive downtown.
“It’s a perfect storm of willing entrepreneurs and a place to be and a great community that supports them,” Dono said.
All these openings are only available when college students return.
“We opened on the day of the block party and people were waiting for us to open at 7 a.m.,” Saunders said.
Dono said businesses were rushing to open their doors in time for Saturday’s downtown block party.
“A couple of thousand JMU students are marching in front of their front doors for no better publicity,” Dono said.
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