A community kitchen, deli-market, law firm and investment agency now occupy one of the city’s most historic blocks.
By Cory Jackson
HQ 71 | AUTUMN 2010
Made possible by the faith and hard work of local business owners and citizens, downtown Huntington is experiencing a renaissance of sorts, with more than 30 businesses now located in an area that once stood desolate. Part of a trend that has been taking place all around the country, downtown is being rediscovered by its residents.
Dr. Joseph Touma is one who has been instrumental in accomplishing the task of bringing life back to downtown, according to business owners and tenants of the buildings he has renovated. A prominent ear doctor in Huntington, Touma has renovated several buildings downtown and leased them to various businesses owners.
One such business owner is Sylvia Crickard, who, along with her partners Joe and Sarah Lazaro, recently opened Third & Ninth Deli-Market, which serves as a restaurant, functional deli and small shop with commonly needed items. The deli is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, offering breakfast and lunch and deli meats by the pound. Third & Ninth is also drawing crowds who line up to sample some of the delicious cakes, cupcakes and other treats specially made by baking guru Paula Vega.
“We were looking for a place, and Dr. Touma was very encouraging,” Crickard said. “He really believes this is something people want, that things downtown need to progress.”
Touma said he moved to Huntington with his wife more than 40 years ago because of the university and the hospitals; he said he stayed in Huntington because of the people – and the potential he sees for the city.
“This city has been good to us,” Touma said. “They’ve supported me as a physician; they’ve allowed us to raise a family. The people are nice and supportive. I really can’t say enough good things.”
Another recent addition to the downtown area, a branch of the law firm Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, also has Touma’s fingerprints on it. When Touma heard managing partner Marc Williams was looking for a location for the firm, he lobbied hard for the downtown building the firm now occupies, Williams said.
“In order to have any development, you have to have local owners who take initiative, make effort, and renovate properties,” Williams said. “Dr. Touma was very diligent in reaching out and bringing people downtown. He is a very persistent and persuasive man.”
Occupying more prime real estate downtown is Huntington’s Kitchen – formerly called Jamie’s Kitchen. Huntington’s Kitchen has committed to remain downtown as it seeks to influence a healthier lifestyle for Huntington residents. The kitchen now sponsors a farmer’s market every Thursday and offers three to four cooking classes each day for both children and adults.
“This is sustainable,” said Yvonne Jones, executive director of Ebenezer Medical Outreach, the organization that owns and operates Huntington’s Kitchen. “More and more people are realizing the importance of nutrition and getting healthy.”
According to Touma, it is this element of downtown – service, combined with the education and research provided by Marshall University, and the health care and progress made possible by the hospitals – that will shape Huntington’s future.
“I’m a realist,” he said. “The old industry is gone. It’s up to us to find a role in today’s society. And we are. People lost sight of the charm and benefit of downtown living and shopping, but now people are rediscovering downtown areas all over the country.”
The catalyst for all this, everyone seems to agree, has been the development of Pullman Square. The introduction of the new infrastructure, including parking, restaurants, improved roads and a town center, where people can gather to talk and spend time together, has made further development possible.
“Pullman Square started the whole process,” Touma said. “There were no tenants in the old, rundown buildings downtown, so I did what I could to bring them back to their old glory and make them more attractive to tenants. But I can’t take all the credit; a lot of people helped, especially the business owners of Huntington who followed up on the growth of Pullman Square.”
Whether you attribute the rapid growth downtown to a national trend toward gentrification or a natural progression following Pullman Square, the question remains the same: How do you guard against a second abandonment of downtown and maintain local ownership and growth?
“There will always be people who come downtown if businesses make the best of it and offer something unique,” Crickard said. “We want to become a staple of the community.”
Marc Williams also sees a bright future for downtown if residents, officials and business owners remain vigilant.
“There has to be a partnership between city, state and national government and businesses to do everything they can to make downtown attractive,” he said. “We need to assume there are other options and not take anything for granted.”
Williams also sees Pullman Square and other businesses downtown as proof Huntington can maintain this momentum.
With the Old Main Corridor project now underway on Fourth Avenue, downtown owners and entrepreneurs expect this trend to continue, inspired and encouraged by the development of new infrastructure and the hard work and dedication of Huntington’s citizens.
“We have to have self-confidence and work hard,” Touma said. “We have to make change, rather than wait for other people to change it for us.”
