Cookeville has a good problem: no vacancies in the downtown area.
Few vacant commercial spaces available. CityScape Executive Director Ferran Kefauver said that due to growth, Cookeville is no longer the hidden gem it once was. Kefauver said having a fully occupied downtown says a lot about the people in Cookeville.
“Most everyone has a common goal of just cheering one another on, and I think it says a lot about the people here,” Kefauver said. “I think the people in Cookeville are good and kind and I would put our community up against any in the state and challenge them show me a community that works better than Cookeville.”
Kefauver said last year the state did a survey to see what Cookeville was missing in the downtown area. Kefauver said the city has done a great job of bringing in the right businesses.
“Cookeville has such a variety, it has done such a good job of putting that puzzle together, that we struggle sometimes to find what is it that we are missing because we have done it really well,” Kefauver said. “And people listen to people in Cookeville, and they put in what works, and all of our downtown businesses are such high talent that it works.”
Kefauver said CityScape, Cookeville, the Chamber of Commerce, and Putnam County have had a team effort in attracting businesses to the downtown area. Kefauver said she believes downtown has made a comeback.
“We kind of got away from those downtown community values,” Kefauver said. “And I think there’s been so many people that see the value in what a small downtown that looks nice, that’s walkable, and you’re able eat, and shop, and play, and I think the value of that has risen exponentially in the past five to ten years and people are going back to that hub for community, and home, and business as well.”
Kefauver said now that downtown is fully occupied, the focus has been on beautifying the area.
Kefauver said CityScape will soon hand out Downtown Improvement Grants to several business owners so they can make upgrades to the exterior portions of their buildings.
