Oct. 4 – Joseph and Courtney Hinkle were trying to draw attention to their smoke shop, Wanna Smoke, 405 S. Main St., by painting the exterior with an eye-catching blue and yellow color scheme.
It worked. They have noticed an increase in foot traffic at their store, which is open daily from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
“We’ve been here six months. Business is up. It’s brought attention to this place, which has been empty for 20 years,” said Courtney Hinkle, noting that she and her husband have put everything into their store , which is almost empty. overflowing with goods.
“We are 100 percent there,” she said.
But the new paint scheme also caught the attention of the Historic Preservation Commission that oversees the Sunshine Lamp District, which stretches from Main Street from First to Eighth streets. The colors do not comply with the district’s design review guidelines, which are outlined in a 42-page document available online. The Hinkles were informed. They were also told they could not hang a banner on the front of their building or add additional lighting to the storefront.
Hinkle said he was told the city received 200 calls about the new paint scheme and those calls were complaints.
“We haven’t seen any rules against repainting the front of this store,” she said. “It’s just another reason why it’s easier to do business on Range Line than on Main Street.”
The need for painting was caused by a fire. Someone left a lit cigarette at the entrance, which is made of wood. The fire damaged wood was replaced by the Hinkles.
“We had to repaint it after repairing the damage,” she said.
Hinkle said she wasn’t sure what might happen next and was aware they could face court.
The Hinkles are not alone in fighting the district’s guidelines, which have, for the most part, preserved the neighborhood’s historic character with appropriate colors, window and door designs and era-appropriate signage. Downtown looks a lot like what it is because of these guidelines.
Priscilla McKinney, owner of Little Bird Marketing, decided to install a neon sign on her new office on the second floor of a building located at 512 S. Main St. The new sign, positioned on the second floor above the entrance to the first floor. , shows a pink nest for the marketing agency. This adds a pop of color to what is otherwise a monotonous streetscape at night.
“I designed it with the history of Joplin in mind. I wanted it to fit into downtown,” she said.
The city gave its initial approval based on the address of the agency’s former office at 10th and Main streets. The sign was actually intended for 512 S. Main St., where it would not be allowed under guidelines. With city approval, the sign was placed. McKinney would quickly learn that the sign was inappropriate and would have to be removed. She appealed.
“It’s been approved by the city. There’s no ban on neon,” she said.
These are two examples of how the guidelines impact businesses in the Sunshine Lamp District. These are not the only examples.
Work begins
Demolition work to transform a former youth ministry into a new campus for Crowder College has begun.
The Victory Sports Complex and Ministry, 3405 Hammons Blvd., formerly known as The Bridge, is being transformed by RE Smith Construction into classrooms for a new branch of the Crowder College system. The college will move its existing career training program from a leased building in downtown Joplin to the new branch.
Cindy Brown, a spokeswoman for Crowder, said the new branch could open within a year with an enrollment of more than 100 students. The 67,000-square-foot structure sits on 40 acres. The size of the structure allows Crowder to add programs.
Contact Wally Kennedy at wkennedy@joplinglobe.com.
