Main Street Movers – The Power of Community Pride
Logan Breer | June 25, 2026
Community pride doesn’t happen by accident. It is cultivated by dedicated individuals, including property owners who steward part of their downtown’s charm, small business owners who go all out to make their experiences unique, and volunteers who show up for their historic commercial district.
As a result, between January and March of 2026, Missouri’s historic commercial districts reported over $3.7 million in public and private improvements from 53 projects; 24 net new businesses; and just over 11,624 volunteer hours. Harris, Sommer & Peppard Attorneys, The Alley, and the Special Civic Spruce Planting Party are three Main Street success stories from the start of 2026 that highlight what happens when people care about the place they live, work, shop, and invest in.
Adam Sommer and Tomei Peppard, Harris, Sommer & Peppard Attorneys, Warrensburg, Missouri
Harris, Sommer & Peppard (HS&P) has gone by different variations of the same name since 1976. HS&P still operates under the same fundamental philosophy established by founding member Bob Harris: provide exceptional, professional legal services with a local approach. HS&P’s commitment to the Warrensburg community can be found through sponsorships such as, Member Adam Sommer’s live guitar performances at Magnolia Mercantile and the Farmer’s Market, golf fundraisers, serving on local Boards, and its most recent renovations to their building, Empire Hall.
In the past, Empire Hall served as a pharmacy, ice cream parlor, and jean store. The unfinished loft area once served as a concert hall in which local artists, including Blind Boone, frequented. In recent history, HS&P has called the Empire Hall home, serving its clients while promoting local businesses, like displaying gorgeous monthly arrangements from Awesome Blooms.
The renovations to HS&P’s building blended modern beauty with the building’s colorful past. Updates included refreshing the interior, adding functional, private, and secure space for clients and staff, and replacing the awnings and doors. HS&P felt it was important to preserve the local history of the building after renewed interest in a newspaper cutting was discovered during the initial renovations of the building, promoting a local concert by Blind Charlie the Great Natural Musician performing in the Empire Opera House. The newspaper cutting was framed and has long hung in HS&P’s halls, and the renewed interest in the building’s history during renovations led to working with local historian and Mayor Bruce Uhler to uncover more of its local roots. HS&P selected photos of Empire Hall in varying stages since its construction in the late 1800’s and ultimately decided to make the modern lobby’s focus the history of the building.
As a result of HS&P and its partners’ commitment to giving back to Warrensburg, they completed a fantastic update to their building, which will continue to honor Empire Hall’s rich history.
Chad Greife-Wetenhall, The Alley, Washington, Missouri
The Alley, “the #1 entertainment center in Washington, Missouri,” was started by a family who, was talented at construction and had the ideas to fill the gaps that Washington was missing. Chad Creife-Wentenhall brought a love for the humanities, art, and creativity, while his brother and sister-in-law brought the construction knowledge and crew.
The Alley wasn’t their first project. The Alley came after the River Sirens Hotel, which was a former office building, and Andy’s Produce, when they came across the right building, which had been an old gymnasium. They came up with the idea of the family entertainment center together in order to have something in Washington for families to do. Think Dave & Buster’s but better and full of easter eggs from the surrounding area, downtown Washington.
Since opening in August of 2023, they have expanded what their two-floor 15,000 sq. ft. entertainment facility offers Washington residents and visitors from the surrounding area to include arcade games, a playscape, laser tag, and a VR arena. On top of what’s inside The Alley, they also host events that take people out into Washington, including speed dating, murder mystery theater, Music Bingo, trivia nights, and more. At the start of 2026, they held the Washington Amazing Race, which Chad is a big fan of, where participants competed in challenges at The Alley and throughout downtown.
Chad and his family have made The Alley an entertainment destination for all ages throughout the week with Music Bingo on Tuesday’s Senior Shenanigans that offer discounts on food for senior citizens, a playscape area for kids where parents can relax as their kids run and play, and afterhours for adults 21+ that allow a space for adults to be silly and sing karaoke after dinner. This all was created for one reason, which Chad shared: “We need this to be a regular spot for people, so the affordability aspects have to be there, and we need things that they will come back and play again and again and again.”
There are more things on the horizon for The Alley with new additions in the works and bi-yearly refreshes that keep the atmosphere fun and exciting for ages 0-100.
Special Civic Spruce Planting Party, West Plains Downtown Revitalization, West Plains, Missouri
West Plains Downtown Revitalization hosted a Special Civic Spruce Planting Party on March 21st where 21 volunteers gathered at Johnny Hatchet’s Axe Throwing and Coffee House to plan for the morning’s downtown spring cleaning.
This is the third year West Plains Downtown Revitalization hosted this planting party, each time coordinating with the Genesis Church. Stacey Tune and Amber Stanley picked the focus of the Civic Spruce, recruited the volunteers, and facilitated the Civic Spruce on March 21st. Joanna Perry, from Johnny Hatchetts, helped Stacey and Amber by recruiting members from her church, Genesis Church, and ordering flowers.
At the end of the Civic Spruce, the 21 volunteers had prepped flowerpots by removing dead plants and adding soil, planted the first round of phlox flowers, and picked up trash. Among the volunteers were MSU-West Plains students, Genesis Church members, West Plains Downtown volunteers, and, as like always, the City of West Plains’ Mayor, Mike Topliff, and his wife, Pam.
Emily Edwards-Long shared West Plains Downtown’s approach to recruiting volunteers effectively,
“We have a variety of options for volunteering to meet folks at whatever level they feel they can commit to. We partner with local businesses and are vocal about our needs—we try to make it fun and approachable!”
One avenue they use to share volunteer requests is social media. Following each Civic Spruce event, West Plains Downtown shares photos highlighting the accomplishments of the day and recognizes the volunteers who participated. These posts not only celebrated the impact of volunteer efforts but also help build awareness and encourage future community involvement.
These individuals and projects are a sample of the impact Main Streets make in Missouri. Their efforts are revitalizing Missouri one community at a time. The momentum continues to build, and Main Streets have proven they’re able to weather uncertainty and disruptions over the past 20 years.
If your organization is located in a designated Main Street community, contact Logan Breer at [email protected] for information on how to nominate an individual or project in future #Mainstreetmonday posts or articles.
Footnote: Missouri Main Street Connection, like other Main Street Coordinating Programs, collects quarterly economic data from all designated Main Street programs across the state. This reporting is required as part of each program’s annual agreement and fulfills obligations to both Main Street America and the Missouri Department of Economic Development. All data is collected and stored anonymously, with only cumulative quarterly and annual figures shared publicly.
