LOCAL - Downtown Bloomington - New Lease On Life?

New Face - By Scott Millerscottmiller@pantagraph.com Full Story in The Pantagraph - Click Here. BLOOMINGTON — In terms of image, downtown Bloomington has had a black eye in years past. But the U.S. Cellular Coliseum could be the icepack to ease the swelling.“Maybe (the Coliseum) will give downtown a new face. The more life and the more vibrancy you have, the more attractive downtown is going to be,” said Fred Wollrab, a Bloomington developer who owns about 30 buildings downtown. Downtown has struggled with problems real and perceived, ranging from a lack of tenants and building deterioration to concerns about safety and sparse parking. But Wollrab and other downtown leaders hope the Coliseum will attract a new audience, an audience that might not be as familiar with positive changes made to counteract those concerns. For example, the area has attracted new businesses, and developers have renovated buildings for commercial and residential use, said Catherine Dunlap, executive director of the Downtown Bloomington Association. Plus, “we are always looking to improve our streetscape, making it more pedestrian friendly and bicycle friendly,” she said.Developers also have begun an aggressive campaign to turn downtown into a residential community. Several residential units are under construction or renovation, including the Ensenberger building, the Paxton’s building, the Blackstone-Artonia building, the Bloomingtonian and the About Books building. Benefits for restaurantsThe $37 million Coliseum opens April 1, and those who’ve invested time, money and energy into downtown business and revitalization hope it raises the awareness of retailers and restaurants, at the very least. Don Larisey, managing partner of Boo Boo’s Dawghouse, 116 W. Washington St., likened the opening to a pub crawl or WGLT blues concert. “Anytime there’s more foot traffic, we’re going to have more business,” he said. “The more people down here, the more sales.” Larisey expects to stay open later and increase his staff on nights when the Coliseum has events. Other restaurant owners, meanwhile, remain cautiously optimistic. “We’re not sure what impact this will have because we’ve never had an arena crowd before.” said Molly Bradle, owner of Rosie’s, a restaurant and bar at 106 E. Front St. “Of course, we always hope it will be busy". And one business owner hopes shopping traffic increases, which would ultimately help her business. “There’s a lot of people, I have to assume, who just don’t venture downtown at all, so hopefully people going to the Coliseum will see what’s down here and come back during the day to shop. That’s what helps us,” said April Fritzen, who owns the Coffee Hound, 407 N. Main St., with her husband, Steve. Dunlap said the downtown is constantly changing, and the Coliseum could attract those sightseers. “A lot of the stores have changed and we want everybody to see that we do have a lot of beautiful boutiques with something to offer everyone,” Dunlap said. For example, A. Renee recently doubled its space at 306 N. Center St., and The Bead Parlor moved into a freshly renovated building at 318 N. Main St. that formerly housed Moberly & Klenner. Four businesses close - But while some are succeeding, others are still struggling — and four are in the midst of shuttering their downtown storefronts.Villa di Vino, 413 N. Main St., is going out of business, while down the block Main Street Jewelry, 403 N. Main St., and Artezen, 412 N. Main St., plan to work solely online. Around the corner, the bridal shop Enchantment, 109 W. Monroe St., also plans to close. Owner Adrianne Green plans to work from home, not waiting to see what impact the Coliseum may have. “I just don’t think (the Coliseum is) going to make downtown much busier. For the restaurant and bars, yes, but the retailers, probably not so much,” said Green. The closures can cast a negative shadow on the state of downtown Bloomington, but Dunlap said they also present a positive opportunity to attract businesses better suited to handle the needs of the typical downtown patron. Dunlap plans to conduct several market surveys to see what downtown patrons want and what would attract new customers. “The downtown has life cycles. Granted, we hate to lose these businesses, but this offers opportunities to better serve the changing downtown market,” she said. Other challenges remainAnd the downtown faces other challenges as well.The Bloomington City Council recently expressed concern over the area’s rising homeless population, but downtown business owners quickly said the problem was a misperception. And the perception of a dangerous downtown still exists.“Most people who don’t think the downtown is safe are people who don’t generally come downtown. It’s just a misconception,” Wollrab said. But the tide is gradually changing. Vicki Tilton, owner of Fox & Hounds Day Spa, 200 W. Monroe St., said that money invested by the city, building owners and store owners has already brought more business to the area. “It’s going to take a little while longer for us to create the awareness through advertising, but I can tell you there is much better awareness down here than there was 10 years ago,” she said. “Ten years ago the storefronts were empty. The upper floors were all empty.” As Dunlap noted, “Your downtown didn’t die overnight, so it’s not going to come back overnight.”