Often loaded with charm and lined with historic buildings that have been repurposed into boutiques, bars and restaurants, there’s something about a small-town main street that has an undeniable appeal. A short 30-minute drive south on I-55 to the twin cities of Festus and Crystal City will take you to a thriving Main Street that offers plenty of charm, along with a craft brewery, coffee shops, a number of restaurants and local retail shops. Although the Festus business district is a bustling area now, it wasn’t always.
“There were bars and nightlife, but it wasn’t really a place to come to,” Ashlee Mattingly recalled of the area prior to its current revitalization.
Mattingly owns Daily Flavors Eatery & Juice Bar, a gluten-free restaurant located at 34 E. Main St. in Festus. “Main Street has really grown into a place that people love to come to. We have people that drive over an hour to visit us because we’re a one-of-a-kind restaurant,” she said.
Though buzzing with life now, not that long ago, only a handful of businesses were on Main Street, such as staples like Pogolino’s Pizza and More, a family-owned eatery that has been a part of the community for over 50 years and is still thriving. Even though there were some restaurants in the area, there wasn’t much else happening to keep people lingering on Main Street.
Over the past several years all that has changed, with businesses opening along Main Street bringing more options for dining and shopping, drawing the local community as well as people from far outside of the Festus area.
Looking back on the growth, there are some things that served as a sort of tipping point in the business district. One of those instances started in 2012, when Festus native Denny Foster, along with his father, Barry, began renovating a building located at 240 E. Main St., with the goal of opening a brewery in the space. It took three years to complete the renovations of the historic building that dates back to the 1800s, but once they opened Main & Mill Brewing Co., the father and son brought not only craft beer and another restaurant to Main Street, but also a gathering place.
“We felt if we spent our time and money investing in the community and creating something a lot of places don’t have, that people would support it,” Denny Foster explained.
Although it has taken a while to get to this point, the journey has been well worth it to Foster when he reflects on the way he’s seen business owners as well as the community at large take pride in the local area.
In addition to his involvement as a business owner, Foster is also a part of the Festus Main Street Association, a nonprofit that aims to revitalize Festus and Crystal City’s historic downtown through business development as well as annual events like the Tanglefoot Art Walk, Stocking Stroll and Ladies’ Night Out.
When it comes to the current businesses on Main, the dining options include not only Pogolino’s, Daily Flavors and Main & Mill, but The Corner Cup, a micro-bakery and coffee shop, The Brick Bistro & Brew, a pizza and bistro style eatery, Pedal ’n Pi, a bike shop and pizza joint and The Braided Bakery, to name a few. Retail and entertainment options range from a live entertainment venue to a variety of specialty boutiques, resale shops and salons.
“We felt like putting more things on Main would increase foot traffic and hopefully make it where people could start on one side of the street and work their way down the other side,” Foster said of the street’s development.
The community growth doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Next up for Foster is a new concept in the home of an old car dealership, located at 10 E. Main St. It will house a taproom, called Central, which will focus on beer, cold brew coffee, seltzers, ferments such as kombuchas, as well as sodas, all of which will be made in-house.
“We’re really pushing the envelope on beverages as a whole,” Foster said of the forthcoming concept.
But Central won’t be the only concept inside the old car dealership. There are plans to include a carryout restaurant, which Foster said doesn’t have a name yet, as well as a cocktail bar called Six and an event space at the back of the building.
To stay up to date on all the events and happenings on Main Street, follow the Festus Main Street Association on Facebook.
