May 12, 2017 3 min read

Most people who grew up in Washington in the 1950s and 1960s, when the population peaked at 26,000-plus – nearly twice what it is today – remember those times as the city’s halcyon days. Glass factories and other industries were going full bore, shops and restaurants proliferated and sidewalks were teeming with people, especially in the evening. The town was energized.

Today? Not so much. The number of residents – 13,663 as of the 2010 census – has declined by nearly half, industry has fallen more precipitously and numerous businesses that did not make the traditional move to suburban shopping centers either shuttered or curtailed operations. The sidewalks are less crowded, and it is most noticeable along Main Street.

But a transplanted resident who, until five years ago, was an outsider to Washington, couldn’t help but be impressed by the significant rebound the city’s primary artery has been experiencing. Businesses have opened and are sustaining themselves, and more are likely ahead, resulting in fewer of the notorious empty storefronts. Some established establishments have refurbished impressively.

South Main has built up faster than the northern end, and provides a splendid diversity of offerings. Among them are several longtime bar-restaurants, all stylish inside, one of which rose from the ashes of a devastating fire. A coffee house has emerged as a popular meeting place, next door to a bakery/grocery/deli, and a winery has been meeting grape expectations across Main from a BYOB dining spot specializing in Italian.

An art gallery has had a brush with success; old-style barber shops and new-wave hair and beauty salons have been a cut above; and a business incubator is intended to give birth to new enterprises.

All of these endeavors are complemented by two Washington institutions on South Main – the David Bradford House and the Observer-Reporter – and a distillery that opened last year just off the street. A brewery is targeted to open this year on nearby East Maiden Street.

North Main has been rising as well, with an upscale restaurant, another new distillery, a coffee house/counseling center and a bakery that launched catty-corner from a well-established one.

Main Street has been further energized by the two pavilion roofs installed over the South Main parking lot more than a year ago. The protective covering not only has enhanced an already popular Main Street Farmers Market, but has enabled the city to schedule ambitious events such as last weekend’s Washington County Auto Show and First Friday celebrations, which debuted last week.

Although some have complained about the streetscape project along South Main, near Cameron Stadium, the work has resulted in necessary improvements that have boosted that area.

Construction also is expected to end soon.

A number of other road projects are ahead for the city, which is restructuring its debt to pay for them.

There is plenty of work ahead, but strides are being made in Washington.

And they are especially visible on Main Street.