Seeds are being planted for another Main Street revival
Could another renaissance be taking place? And will this effort be as short-lived as the last?
Considering the identities of the sponsors, this endeavor may actually have some longevity.
Sculptor Dan Pogue and watercolor artist Michael LeVitt might actually be the ones to make the new dawn on Main Street a reality. Especially since, arts impresario and longtime Main Street promoter Russell Buster is supporting them.
Pogue and LeVitt have opened a new gallery at 205 Main St.
The pair belong to the Uptown Marble Arts Alliance, a nonprofit group of artists and business operators who want to see the Marble Falls downtown district thrive.
They almost got their wish more than a year ago, when the Main Street area virtually exploded with new restaurants and nightclubs. The eateries already in existence there at the time, meanwhile, strengthened their reputation by offering fine foods and toe-tapping sounds.
But Main Street today is a far cry from those not-so-long-ago, heady days of wine and song. Dionysus stepped aside for just plain dying out.
A catastrophic flood in June 2007, economic woes, steep gas prices and — for at least one night spot — legal problems left Main Street a virtual shell.
Gone are Patton’s on Main, Cafe 909, Cecil & Co. steak and seafood, The Falls on the Bistro wine bar, the House of Blue Lights and the upscale furnishings store Canyon Trails.
A decent coffee shop faded as well in Old Oak Square, like a light going out on an old marquee.
The philosophy of the nightclubs, restaurants and bistros seemed a sound one: offer good food, live music and drinks, and patrons will come.
And they did, for a while. But a downturn in the economy proved a death knell for most.
Yet at the same time, the Uptown Marble Theater operated by Buster got by (as did the bar he oversees next door), operating on a principle of feeding customers hungry for the arts by offering fare such as Marcia Ball, Mike Blakely, Homemade Jamz Band, Will Taylor and Strings Attached and Monte Montgomery — solid, rocking music acts all.
At the same time, Levitt, Dan and wife Marti Pogue, artists Janey Rives, the Highland Arts Guild, the Historic Main Street Association and other stalwarts of Main Street took another approach to keeping the traditional heart of Marble Falls beating; in 2007 they organized a highly successful open-air art exhibit that became the envy of other towns across the state and nation.
More than 35 artists and their unique works were featured for free as part of a downtown walkabout that had tongues wagging.
The concept proved so successful, Sculpture on Main has entered its second year, this time with about 40 pieces of art.
These efforts, according to both City Hall and the Marble Falls/Lake LBJ Chamber of Commerce, have helped transform Marble Falls into a true arts destination.
Now, Pogue and LeVitt are taking the next logical step.