Our Town Hastings: Downtown Development

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – A historic building in downtown Hastings is being transformed into a shopping destination, and it’s an example of the unique attractions this part of town has to offer.

We spoke with Jacque Cranson, the co-owner of Small Town Famous. Cranson graduated law school 14 years ago, at a time when the job market wasn’t great. While in Omaha, she got the idea to make custom clothing designs. “That’s how it started, I was just going to volleyball tournaments and selling t-shirts and headbands actually,” Cranson said. “From there, it kind of evolved. I met my husband, and we ended up in Hastings.”

The couple started their business at 1st and Denver. Small Town Famous is currently located on West 2nd Street, and it continues to grow. “It kind of just evolved overnight from t-shirts to one thing after another after another,” Cranson said. They not only offer screen printing and embroidery, but they also sell Nebraska-made products from popcorn to candles.

Jacque and her husband Matt are also working on the next step downtown. “We are moving next door,” Cranson said. The Cransons bought a 150-year-old former department store building, and the renovation of that building is currently underway. “It is a 30,000 square foot building, three stories high, four with the mezzanine, there’s also a basement,” said Cranson. “The first floor will be our screen printing operations, as well as shopping experiences. We will have a big section for Pacha soap, which started here in Hastings.” There will also be coffee, ice cream and a possible cafe. A candy store is also being planned, with a section for children’s books, toys and clothing. “It’s going to be a destination store that’s a huge building,” Matt Cranson said. “We say between Chicago and Denver, you probably won’t find anything like it. We’ve traveled to a few places, one in Waco, Texas and one in Oklahoma to get some inspiration.”

When you look around, there is no question that the downtown core of Hastings is thriving. “Downtown Hastings has really seen tremendous growth in the last 15 years,” said Dave Rippe, “It’s come from a focus on local ownership, local development, and local experiences. Our community has enabled local business owners, entrepreneurs and developers to take a local approach to creating the best urban, walkable type environment in rural Nebraska.” Making Hastings walkable is an important goal. “It’s been driven by upper level residential development, understanding that people who live down here will prefer to shop and dine down here,” said Rippe.

Experts say Hastings has been a leader in the development of upper level living in the city’s downtown area. Lofts continue to be in high demand in the community. “Over the last 10 years, we’ve probably added close to 100 upper level living units downtown,” said Rippe. Local leaders say the next phase is getting people to work downtown, and that plan is also moving along. “What we’ve seen over the last few years is employers who are looking to attract talented people,” said Rippe. “We’ve seen some great employers come and create jobs in our downtown as well.”

“The commitment that people have made to the city of Hastings has really made the downtown area a thriving hotspot to be in in Central Nebraska,” Matt Cranson said. The hope is for people statewide to continue to come and discover downtown Hastings.

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