(Seguin) — Individuals, groups, and businesses that have contributed to the growth and development of downtown Seguin, did not go unnoticed over the weekend. Several key players in downtown Seguin were recognized during Friday’s Moonlight & Roses event hosted by the Seguin Main Street Program. The annual event was held at the Memorial Rose Garden at Walnut Springs Park.
Main Street Director Kyle Kramm says the top prize of Downtowner of the Year went to Heather Felty, of Court Street Coffee Shop. Kramm says Felty is proving that there is always a way to make a successful business even more successful.
“She purchased along with her husband the coffee shop in early 2018 and she kind of just jumped right in downtown being an advocate and working with her neighboring businesses and non-profit organizations. She took a very successful business and made it even more successful. It was good that the previous owners got to officially retire and you always get a little nervous when there are new owners taking over a business but they have come in and did a smooth transition and have really kept everything going as was and even expanded business hours and has really grown the business,” said Kramm.
The Volunteer of the Year Award went to the Rotary Club of Seguin. Kramm says the group’s membership is being honored for its active role in ensuring the success of one of Main Street’s largest events of the year.
“They have been a true partner with the Fourth of July Parade that Main Street puts on every year. We could not do the parade if we did not have the volunteers from the Rotary Club who help marshal and line-up all the parade entries. We have over 150 entries that are split among eight different streets. It takes a lot of people to get lined up and ordered. So they’ve just done it every year for the Main Street Program for as long as anybody can remember and so we decided that they are a really good group to recognize,” said Kramm.
This year’s Beautification Project of the Year went to local business Southern Good. Kramm says the business, which opened in 2017 at 106 N. Austin Street, is being honored for its commitment to doing business in downtown.
“Our third award was the Beautification Project of the Year and that went to Southern Good — Ken Centeno of Southern Good. During the last year, he painted the façade of his building. He’s put out gorgeous planters and then always has a rotation in his store windows that has great displays that are very attractive and so really kind of changing that block and improving the aesthetics of that 100 block of North Austin, the board really wanted to recognize him for that,” said Kramm.
Being honored with this year’s Cornerstone Business Award was longtime business owner Bob Pickett, of Pickett’s Fine Art and Frame Shop on North Austin Street. Kramm says Pickett is recognized for his loyalty to customers and for being a staple in downtown Seguin.
“The Cornerstone Business Award recognizes a business that has been in Seguin for a very long time and so this year, the board decided to recognize Bob Pickett for being in business for 37 years I believe is what he said. He owns Pickett’s Fire Art and Frame Shop and so, it’s always been in downtown Seguin for all those 37 years and Bob has been a true advocate for downtown, championing projects and things like that year after year,” said Kramm.
Main Street officials say they are thankful for all businesses that continue to make investments and have an impact in the city’s downtown. In its celebration of 2018, Main Street applauded the nearly $5 million in reinvestments to downtown, and the lowest vacancy rate in downtown over a decade.
“It’s a great event for us, celebrating everything that is happening in downtown Seguin and we are really looking forward to what’s in store for the future. We’ve got a lot of businesses that are under construction, a lot of properties under construction right now and a lot of businesses that have recently opened and they are just continuing to add to the overall sense of place and uniqueness of downtown Seguin,” said Kramm.
City staff also thanked all business sponsors who again helped to make the annual Moonlight and Roses event a success.