Osage County City Sees Rebirth In Dwindling Downtown

An Osage County city is trying to bring more people downtown. The Pawhuska Chamber of Commerce wants to get more small business owners interested in its empty buildings.

Downtown Pawhuska is rich with history. Some buildings date back to before statehood. It's also a place that has its share of abandoned buildings, at least 14 in all. Some have wood covering the windows and storefronts sit vacant.

"A few years ago we realized that we were losing our historic downtown," said Mike McCartney, Pawhuska Chamber of Commerce.

McCartney has helped launch a program to encourage business owners to invest in downtown. This weekend, the chamber held a tour to introduce would be shop owners to the potential, the chamber says, lies all around Kihekah and Main.

Blakelea Martin is already a downtown business owner. Her coffee shop, called Nehemiah's Wall, opened three years ago. She sees great possibilities here and hopes the chamber's tours show others the potential of downtown Pawhuska.

"New businesses and stuff, anything that would help liven up downtown would be great, bring people to Pawhuska and then keep them here," Martin said.

McCartney says the selling of downtown Pawhuska seems to be off to a pretty good start. After Saturday's tour one building was sold, there's a contract on another one, and in January five new businesses will open.

Danette Daniels is another downtown business owner. She got her start in the chamber's incubator, a building that helps budding entrepreneurs until they're able to be self sufficient.

Daniels moved into a new building in September and she's already planning to open another store nearby. She says the time is right for Pawhuska to cash in on its history.

"We have these beautiful old buildings… when the town developed in the early 1900's, so we want to be part of saving the buildings. We're glad to see the town coming back to life," Daniels said.

The chamber says it's considering whether to have more tours in the future.