Main Street Laurens Program in Transition as Jonathan Irick Takes Position with State Main Street Program

The transformation of downtown Laurens is undeniable. From vacant storefronts to thriving new businesses and a vibrant restaurant and evening scene emerging, Laurens has come alive again.

For the past 17 years Main Street Laurens Director, Jonathan Irick, has been working to make Laurens thrive. Irick recently announced that he would be taking a position as Staff Assistant for Main Street South Carolina, working with the Main Street SC Director, Jenny Boulware, to help grow the Main Street SC Program and advance their work to support community driven, preservation-based economic development. Boulware served as Main Street Laurens Director from 2000-2006 and joined Main Street South Carolina in 2018 as the Main Street SC Manager.

Based on his work with Main Street Laurens, Irick seems to be the perfect person to join the statewide team.

Irick took an interest in the downtown Laurens area at an early age. He worked at Earl Thomason Jewelers on the square through high school and college. After college he went full-time with them and managed the Laurens store. It was then that he got more involved in the Main Street program and served on the Board of Directors for the organization.

He also volunteered on some of the committees including Design & Promotion and worked with other business owners to plan events for the businesses.

In April of 2006, Irick was hired as the Main Street Director for Laurens.

When Irick joined Main Street Laurens 17 years ago there were some pretty big challenges. Main Street Laurens had received several Department of Transportation grants that were used for the brick crosswalks, brick insets of the sidewalks, trees and period lighting, benches, trash cans and many other streetscape projects. There had been a big push to get the downtown district recognized as a Preservation Overlay District, meaning there would be a focus on historic preservation of the buildings and other historical aspects of the downtown.  All of this was moving in the right direction, but one of the biggest challenges of that time was bringing more businesses to downtown and working with the property owners to renovate buildings to make them more rentable.

“My focus when I came on board was to work with the businesses to strengthen their ability to be successful in downtown, thus making downtown more attractive to new businesses,” said Irick. “Growing up, my family owned their own small businesses, so I understood the challenges small businesses faced.”

Fast forward 17 years and the fruits of his labor can be seen in the vibrancy of downtown Laurens.

When he started, the vacancy rate was beginning to look up from the late ‘90s but had a way to go. There were only one or two restaurants in downtown and bringing more restaurants to the downtown was a huge need. According to Irick, currently the vacancy rate is at about 10% for the ground floor spaces and people are reaching out to Main Street Laurens weekly to inquire about available buildings. Today there are four restaurants downtown, a tap room and a coffee shop. All of these businesses draw people downtown every day of the week from 7 am until 9-10 pm.

“It’s so encouraging, and rewarding, to see parking on the square full during weeknights and the weekends. Not too many years ago people would think we were crazy to suggest that downtown Laurens could once again be a place of such vibrancy in the evenings and on weekends,” said Irick. “We want people to say, let’s go downtown and decide what we are going to do, because of the options they have.”

Over the course of 17 years working to revive downtown Laurens, you have to know that there is a reel of highlights. For Irick, the reel is long and includes seeing all the new businesses come to downtown, many of them first-time business owners, the relationships he has built throughout the community, the Community Vibrancy Grants from Ten at the Top used for the Finally Friday series, the Food Truck Plaza and the Blues Festival, talking with investors on a regular basis wanting to invest in downtown, working with awesome businesses, dedicated volunteers and a working board to get the program Accredited by the National Main Street Center and Main Street SC, the strategic focus on dining and entertainment for downtown, over $10 million dollars being re-invested in Downtown Laurens, and grants from Main Street America and Main Street SC to help downtown businesses grow setting themselves up for future success.

Whew! That’s a pretty great reel of highlights that truly demonstrates the changes and growth Laurens has seen over the years.

When asked what he is most proud of Irick said, “There are so many things that I am proud of. I think Laurens is a special community and the Main Street program has come a long way and has been the reason the city has been able to accomplish so much so quickly over the last four years. As a non-profit organization, Main Street Laurens has responsible for holding the square together since 1996 and keeping the businesses going so that we can all enjoy the success we are seeing now.”

Events have become a significant part of the downtown Laurens scene with some festivals drawing large numbers of out-of-town visitors. Several years ago, Main Street Laurens made a conscience effort to diversify the music offerings at events and better represent our entire community.

“I am proud of the success of our events, and I absolutely love hearing people say how much they enjoy coming downtown again.” said Irick. “I am so proud of how inviting our downtown is now with so much to offer.”

When planning for special events, there are always those sleeper or surprise events that are much more than you expect them to be. The total solar eclipse of 2017 was one of those “surprise events” for Irick and Main Street Laurens.

There was no “event” planned for the eclipse because Laurens was not supposed to be in the best viewing area. Main Street Laurens expected to close an area of the square for anyone who wanted a place to watch. But when Irick came out of his house that morning, there were people already out and about and he was greeted by a photographer from Getty Images (a global digital media provider) asking about setting up.

Irick soon learned that due to cloud cover outside our area, larger cities, such as Charlotte were telling people to come in this direction. Irick quickly worked with the city to close off the square, Roma, the only restaurant at the time, had a line out the door before noon that day. Visitors were coming up asking for food and beverages, beer included, so Irick made a quick call to a local food truck to come downtown. Main Street Laurens had some beer and sodas left over from a Finally Friday event.

“It was an all-hands-on deck day,” said Irick. “My mother and my in-laws all pitched in to help sell soda, water, and beer to visitors. Local businesses sold any and everything with the name Laurens or the sun and moon on it! We welcomed people from as far away as Canada that day and received so many compliments on our downtown, businesses and hospitality. I was so proud of our city that day and will never forget it!”

Irick’s commitment to Laurens is personal. He was born and raised here and truly loves Laurens. His wife, Johnnie Lee, is from Union. Before getting married in 2008 they discussed where they would live. As the newly hired Main Street Laurens Director, he was expected to live in Laurens, so they purchased the former Men’s Shop building on the square that had been renovated in 2005. They live upstairs and rent out the retail space on the ground floor.

“We were, and are, personally invested in the success of downtown Laurens,” said Irick.

Irick may be leaving Main Street Laurens, but he has no current plans to leave the town of Laurens. His new position is a hybrid one, so he will be working in Columbia two days a week and working from home or traveling to other communities the rest of the week.

Main Street Laurens is a small non-profit organization working hard to create a thriving downtown Laurens. The program has been recognized at the national and state level for their success. As the director, Irick has played a major role in the success of the program, but he knows it takes much more than one person to execute a plan.

“The success we have enjoyed is largely due to the work done by countless volunteers, the board of directors, the merchants and the relationships we’ve built with community partners like the City of Laurens, the Chamber of Commerce, the Laurens County Economic Development Corporation and so many others,” said Irick.

Because of the work of Main Street Laurens over the years and the perseverance in the face of roadblocks, the City was better prepared four years ago when the explosion of interest in downtown Laurens began.

“Main Street Laurens laid the groundwork for so much of what we are experiencing today and I’m grateful and honored to have played a role in all of it,” said Irick.

The City of Laurens and all those who enjoy what it has to offer now is grateful to Irick for almost two decades of work to develop the downtown area.

“While he will be transitioning to a new position with Main Street South Carolina in Columbia, we are grateful that Jonathan will continue to reside in Laurens, bringing his expertise and passion to benefit our community from a distance. His commitment to revitalizing our downtown and fostering economic development has left an indelible mark on our city,” said Laurens Mayor Nathan Senn. “We extend our heartfelt congratulations to him and look forward to his continued contributions to our town’s growth and revitalization.”