New director of Uptown Marion Main Street speaks to vision, priorities for district

MARION — After seven years under the leadership of Brooke Prouty, Uptown Marion Main Street came under the helm of new program director Lacey Shroeder on Aug. 21.

Shroeder, who previously worked for just over year in administrative support in the Cedar Rapids Community School District, brings years of experience as an owner of small businesses in the fields of photography, wholesale and boutiques.

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Shroeder previously earned the President’s Volunteer Service Award, which honors outstanding volunteers who have had significant impacts on their communities, during her work around the country with AmeriCorps helping with natural disaster response, including recovery from Hurricane Katrina. The Lone Tree native also holds a master’s degree in business administration.

Uptown Marion Main Street is one of over 50 Main Street Iowa districts across the state. Prouty, her predecessor, is now a small business specialist with Main Street Iowa.

Uptown Marion has more than 60 boutiques, restaurants and venues. The Uptown Marion district includes the Central Plaza project being pursued by the city, which will anchor six square blocks of Uptown and make the area a pedestrian-friendly space ideal for events and other activities. And it includes the site that once housed the Marion Library after a new $18 million library opened nearby in 2022.

This interview with Shroeder has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: What are your top priorities and initiatives for Uptown Marion as you assume this position?

A: We have a couple big ones. We just finished our Main Street America accreditation visit in October. A big part of the day was discussing the transformation strategies that Main Street America has been rolling out across the country.

Any day now, we should be getting our report back from them that identifies areas of room for growth, specific to Uptown Marion. That identifies some areas that we've decided are our transformational strategies specific to this community.

One of them is place-making — continuing to make this community a place that people recognize and want to be (in.)

In conjunction with that, the other one that we have decided is a top priority is our business curation and business mix, and that's making sure that we have a really diverse group of businesses, restaurants, services offered in Uptown Marion as we are looking toward redeveloping the old library site. That is our top priority, making sure that the tenants that are going in there are what the community is asking for.

My predecessor had just wrapped up a poll we call the “Shape The Future” survey, so we've taken a lot of time to go through 300-plus pages of responses and really understand what the community of Marion is asking for in Uptown and making sure that those are our priorities.

The other priority that we really have is increasing our volunteer hours, as the community grows and Uptown becomes bigger and bigger, to facilitate different programming and to make sure that our Main Street Iowa program and standards are being met. We just have to bring on more people.

One area that we've identified as a team is asking the private sector to not only continue to invest their money, but also to invest time and volunteer hours for different events, whether it’s volunteering at the upcoming Peppermint Walk, or sitting on a committee.

Q: What is the timeline for developing the old library site, and what kinds of tenants do you need to bring into the mix there?

A: I think the thing that makes team Marion really unique when you're looking at the redevelopment of the old library site is not rushing the process and making sure that we really do have the right developer for the job.

I think it would be really easy to say, “Oh my gosh, there's this big vacant space. Nothing’s been here for several years. We need to hurry up and get something in there.” But I really appreciate coming into this process and seeing how much time and care and intention is going into finding the right developer to build it out, then also working with that developer to seek out the right tenants.

That is going to be appreciated for generations. It's a huge investment in the Uptown community to build that out.

I would not say that there is a timeline. It is more of finding that right fit, which is absolutely key.

I know that they had previously put out a (request for proposal) and had some interesting projects proposed, but they weren't the right fit, and so they made the investment to do it again.

It will be something that is an amenity for the community.

Q: Is there anything people are really wanting in Uptown?

A: Right now, the biggest thing people are asking for is continued diverse shops, and making sure that we don’t have 10 of the same type of thing. They want to be able to shop and find all the things on their list — park and stay for the afternoon.

The other things people are asking for, specifically, are more diverse types of restaurants. They want to have different fare than is currently here.

Q: Your predecessor, Brooke Prouty, has helped usher Uptown Marion through some of its most formative years. What is your vision for the next phase, and how you would characterize the next phase?

A: Stepping into Brooke’s shoes has been a really smooth process.

She went to Main Street Iowa, so she is not far. In fact, she is one of the individuals who has done my training, which has been so phenomenal to be able to tap into the resource of the person who was here before you.

And yes, you're correct in saying that she really has shaped a lot of what's ongoing and been the catalyst for these new projects. I think my vision is working alongside the team and making sure that we are all working together. I think continuing that whole culture of support is super important. So making sure that I am learning to integrate into that team is key.

The other thing, I would say, is just understanding what those community needs are. I would love to see the library site be that kind of fixture that completes a retail loop around the Central Plaza as we're gearing up for that to open. Then, looking at other spaces that are underutilized is something that's really important to me.

We have these amazing historic buildings. What can we do to honor their history and fill them with amazing tenants?

Q: How are things going with the Central Plaza? Are there any updates?

A: Every day, we go out there and (see) something else is done. It's getting to that point to where … all of a sudden, (you see) all the things they've accomplished.

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They are still on schedule to get that ice loop filled for a soft opening sometime in January. It is weather dependent when you're curing concrete. The grand opening (will be) sometime in spring, when it's warm and beautiful out.

Q: What are you most looking forward to doing in this position?

A: It’s always exciting. It’s always something new and really interesting. I just find it so heartwarming that the community cares so much.

Getting to know all the business owners has been truly wonderful. They are the heart and soul of what makes Uptown so special.

The other things that I've so much appreciated coming in is, for example, the Chocolate Walk and Shop. The amount of people who came, just having a beautiful evening together, was delightful. It's those special moments that I'm really excited for.

I'm excited to see what happens when this old library site is redeveloped. I can't wait to see that, however long it takes in (about) three years, when we open those doors for the first time. That is something that I think will be like “Wow, we've done something amazing.”

I think the ongoing conversation is how can we continue to make this place the place to live in the country. Really just being mindful, investing time and energy into that development, is something that I am thrilled to take part in.

It's a long and careful process.

Q: A lot of small towns are struggling in Iowa. Why are programs like Main Street Iowa so important for small towns today?

A: For small towns, they often have issues. Lone Tree is a food desert. They are out 20 minutes from the nearest major grocery store. Over the years, there (has been) a lack of investment into that downtown infrastructure.

These buildings were opened with businesses that have gone to a corporate structure, or are just gone by the wayside — they just aren't things that operate anymore.

I think now, as we are looking at this aging infrastructure, and we're looking at how to invest in our communities and honoring history … context of historic preservation is key, in my opinion, to revitalizing your community. Going back to those roots and honoring them is huge.

When you're investing in existing buildings, it rallies a community around projects in a way that is different than when it's a completely new build.

When we talk about the Owen Block here in Marion, everybody knows it as the Maidrite. Everybody is so curious what's going to go in there, what are we doing in there, because that building is so iconic, and people remember it from their childhoods.

So when you look at little towns that are struggling, and you see this revitalization of their main streets, and there's events, there's things that are drawing people in from the countryside, from surrounding communities, it's a really big boost to their economic growth.

I think Main Street Iowa is a program that is really well respected across the nation for how it operates and how successful it is. And for communities that are part of the Main Street Iowa program, there's so many tools that are just part of being accredited, and in that program that are just invaluable. To be able to have a design consultation, to be able to have access to different grants, to have people who can help you troubleshoot your streetscape. How do you make sure that businesses don't close?

I believe right now there are 54 Iowa Main Street (districts,) and I know that there are several more in the process of becoming designated. Clearly, communities see the value in the program.

Q: What are the keys to maintaining vibrancy in places like Uptown Marion? What is the X factor?

A: That has been an ongoing conversation since I started — communities (saying) we can’t be like Marion, or we want to be like Marion. I really think the secret sauce is that team approach.

We get together every week, look at what the community needs, and address those needs. We’re all so supportive, but also recognize what everybody's role is within the community and community development.

Also, again, that community buy-in. People love Marion and they love the trajectory that it's taken.

Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.