MESA, AZ — Businesses are filling up fast in downtown Mesa, according to city leaders who say their downtown sector has more than 500 individual properties. All but 6.9% of them are filled.
Keeping that downtown vacancy percentage below 10 percent is important to city developers.
Blue Corn Bakery and Cafe opened for business in June. Owners say it's going well, but it's concerning that the shop next door locked its doors for good last week.
Chris Thompson owns Blue Corn Bakery and Cafe, where sandwiches and baked goods are served daily. He's in a downtown district where construction is common, and tax-supported facade improvements are underway.
Thompson said downtown events, like the ones held at Mesa Arts Center, are driving customers downtown.
"I used to come down to Mesa, and there would be newspapers blowing down the streets because there was nothing to do down here," Thompson said.
"My neighbors next to me, a fantastic Thai restaurant. Really good stuff. When he's open, I benefit. When I'm open, he benefits. When I have my jazz brunch, a lot of times, they'll leave there and go straight over there for lunch. We're all trying to share customers that way," Thompson said.
A few doors down at Lucent Beauty Salon, Mesa native Shelby Johnson cuts hair. She's among the business operators praising the city for being business-friendly.
"I feel like it trickles on to the rest of the businesses, and it kind of allows us all to build a community where we can all succeed," Johnson said.
Mesa is the state's third largest city, and getting bigger every day.
Jeff McVay manages Mesa's Office of Urban Transformation. He says some money being used for downtown improvements is leftover COVID relief money, meant to help businesses recover from tough times.
"One of the things that's deceiving about our downtown is the vacancies are visible," McVay said.
"The city is focused on the quality of the place. We are helping to create a downtown where businesses can be successful and invest their dollars, and be confident in those dollars," McVay said.
McVay also says neighbors are helping find new neighbors. He explains that while city leaders are doing their part to fill the empty spots, many business owners are telling their friends, who in turn, bring their investments downtown.
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