'A Hallmark town': Springfield revives downtown as town, businesses comes back to life
When Dee Moncrief walked into the empty, dilapidated cottage on Laurel Street in Springfield, it was not love at first sight. But she did not give up on the idea of turning the rundown building into an event venue.
Downtown Springfield needed residents like her to believe some good could come out renovating structures with old bones.
“It was a burnt-out shell of a house,” said Moncrief.
She rehabbed the little cottage now known as Moncrief Square and is just one of the businesses residents enjoy now that downtown Springfield is spruced up.
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“We went through a transformation with the downtown area but the best part was that we had great support from the city,” said Moncrief. “Everybody was excited about what we were doing.”
Moncrief, a real estate broker, is one of the founding members of the Springfield Downtown Development Authority. Founded in 2016, the board has been tasked with bringing the area back to life . Things began to turn around between 2019 and 2020 but it took years of planning and financial risk for residents to set up shop downtown.
'A downward decline'
Moncrief is just one of several business owners on Laurel Street, a road that used to be the center for business in the county. But the expansion of Highway 21 years ago took motorists off Laurel Street, which led to a decline in business. Buildings were left to rot and the loss of profit was felt throughout the community as residents had to travel further to shop and entrepreneurs were forced to close their doors.
Downtown Springfield had all but shut down.
“Springfield was the county seat and a lot of activity was here,” said Erin Phillips, community development director for the city of Springfield. “The city had two options: do we expand Highway 21 through the middle of town and lose some of these properties and buildings or do we let it bypass the city? I am not sure who participated in the vote, but they opted to have it bypass Springfield, which took people away from driving through the middle of town.
"About 10 years after, things were in a downward decline for sure. People just weren't here anymore.”
'A hallmark town'
Moncrief moved to Springfield in 2008 and the Ohio native described it as a sleepy town that was dying. But that did not stop her from trying to revive it.
“I knew the benefit of being downtown and having been on the DDA for six years, we wanted to encourage small businesses,” said Moncrief. “I think we are one of the few places that still have a true downtown corridor that is already charming. We are like a little Hallmark town. There have been a lot of people in the background working for 10 years to get the streetscape ready and prepare for the little boom that is happening.”
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Phillips helps manage the board and said there are several projects in the works that are going to enhance the look and feel of the area, including creating efficient ways to use empty lots.
“We want a little bit of old and new but we will need to be pretty delicate about that because we want to make sure everything looks cohesive,” said Phillips. “We will go back to the drawing board to make sure new developments fit the old stuff from a design standard.”
Up and running again
Flaco’s House, Central Station Bakery and Eatery and Old Town Market are just a handful of businesses residents enjoy downtown. Phillips credits the steadfast business owners who refused to give up on getting downtown up and running again.
“That, coupled with some of the newer ones coming in to build off that prosperity, made it much more successful for the ones that decided to stick it out,” said Phillips.
Phillips added preserving the downtown area protects Springfield’s history, a vital aspect of the community they do not want to see wither away as it did years ago. The walkability aspect brings neighbors closer together and creates a sense of belonging that Effingham County residents had in years past.
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“Downtown’s give you walkability and we've sort of lost that with a lot of new development,” said Phillips. “That is a unique experience. People that have been in Springfield for decades can remember what these things used to be like. You can't just create that by finding a street and deciding to build all the buildings that look old. They wouldn't have that nostalgia for the community the way that a downtown really does. The council had to hire somebody that could focus on downtown and set up a development authority to create incentives, get these vacant buildings back open again and make it easier for you to create a new business in downtown Springfield. And so that's what you're seeing now is the fruits of all that labor of 15 years of trying to build it all back up.”
Townsfolk reminisce on the good old days when Springfield was the place to be.
Leigh Silva grew up in Springfield in the 80s and 90s and said those were some of the “best days of my life.”
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“As a kid growing up, we used to frequent Dan’s which had drinks, candy and a couple of video games,” said Silva. “I always loved going to Snooks Grocery Store too. Springfield has always had that small hometown feel and to me it still does.”
Mildred Wilson Reffner has lived in Springfield for more than 50 years. Her father worked at Farm and Animal Supply and recalled playing in the large grain bins. She spent some time living in Savannah in the early 90s, but returned to Springfield, saying it “has always been and will forever be home to my family and me.”
“I remember when the C&S Bank was built and when the old train depot was still behind the Mars Theater,” said Reffner. “I remember the Wilson's General Store that's now occupied by Aunt Tinkie’s Antique and Thrift Shop. I remember the Western Auto and the Webb's Service Station. My brother and I used to walk to Springfield Elementary School every day. I am thrilled with the revitalization and all of the improvements, including the restoration of the Mars Theater.”
Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Springfield GA downtown sees new life with new businesses, shops
