Story by Valerie Shead
Photo by Greg Emens

In 2001, entrepreneur Rachel Dickson began taking regular walks around downtown Jackson in search of a location for a new art gallery where local and regional artists could display and sell their work. Three years later, her journey ended on East Lafayette Street where she opened the Dickson Gallery of Fine Art, joining the growing number of business owners, investors and city officials who are successfully trans-forming downtown Jackson into an attractive and lively center for the arts and entertainment.

“Downtown is really starting to evolve at a fast pace. Building by building you’re seeing renovation take hold, and there’s a great community of business people who are committed to making the down-town experience special for residents and visitors to the area,” says Dickson, who is also involved in the Jackson Union Sculpture Tour, a juried national art competition sponsored by the city and Union University.

With a growing arts district that already includes three art galleries, the Carl Perkins Civic Center, the Ned R. McWherter Cultural Arts Center, the Jackson Ballet and the Jackson Symphony, the city is now proposing to redevelop a 65-acre area tract of downtown with the first phase to include a new Cineplex and adjoining retail shops covering 200,000 square feet, in addition to a parking structure and proposed 2,000-seat outdoor amphitheater for concerts and performances.

According to Mary Bearden, executive director of the Jackson Downtown Development Corporation, the vision for the new entertainment district began with a 2003 Urban Land Institute study aimed at revitalizing downtown Jackson and attracting more than 750,000 people to the central business district each year.

“The city had the foresight to take the bull by the horns and be proactive with this recommendation to make downtown an attractive destination,” Bearden says. “As a result, new retail and residential plans are beginning to take off and successfully take hold. It’s not just redevelopment that’s taking place, in our opinion, it’s a true renaissance for the downtown area.”

Bearden also notes that the initial phase of development for the entertainment district represents more than $24 million in investment dollars.

“It helps Jackson offer the best of all worlds, including the best of the old and the best of the new. We’re already seeing people return downtown to work, live, eat, shop and enjoy themselves,” says Bearden.

For business owners like Dickson, the city’s investment in a new entertainment district means added retail traffic and growing recognition for the local arts community that has served as a catalyst for change in the downtown area.

“It’s exciting for everyone. I think it will attract even more artists and entrepreneurs, and eventually mean a growing number of shops, restaurants and galleries like ours will open in the future,” Dickson says.

Story by Valerie Shead
Photo by Greg Emens