Meridian Street Shakers and Movers

Yes, there are auto shops, a party rental store, and electric supply stores on Meridian. There are also iconic and out-right uber cool new retail sites now, and the success of the Lincoln Academy and Village can’t be understated. And NOW, just for FUN, this Sunday is the inaugural Tweed Ride in Huntsville starting and ending at businesses right off Meridian Street. It is a regional draw….yes, it’s a thing and we are just now hearing about it!

Lowry House, 1205 Kildare St

Tweed Rides are an internationally popular way to mix it up with people devoted to leisure for an afternoon, wearing fine or vintage street clothes, exploring the city on slow bikes, talking to each other, enjoying a spot of tea at the park and picnicking with a jazz band. A group from Memphis is coming to Meridian Street with their Bone Shaker Bikes!

Beth Norwood, host at WLRH public radio and a resident of our area, interviewed Brandy Baird and me, Frances, on Nov. 8th to learn more about the NEHCA and the ride. The Darwin Downs neighbors received a special shout-out as the Original Tiny House Community.

Shakers and Movers since 2006

The Tweed Ride is also the first time our Association is sponsoring a special event to showcase the progress on Meridian Street, the western “limit” of our service area. Think of downtown as the heart with arteries like Meridian Street. Much of the progress on Meridian is a because of private investments, later supported by city investments in street scape as mentioned in the 2006 Downtown Master Plan.

The most recent investment is in the rennovation of the Lincoln Mill Commissary building, formerly home to an antique store and stage theatre. The very current and classy Preservation Company will fill part of the building. Holt Leather Company will sell high end goods from the other section, and they employ 35 people making the goods sold all over the country.

Ten years ago people would have thought you crazy to visualize Meridian Street as home to a renovated Lincoln Mill business center (thanks Ana and Jim Byrne and Wayne Bonner), an uber cool retail stores in a renovated Lincoln Mill Commissary (thanks, Butler family), a flourishing Lincoln Village Ministry (thanks Mark Stern, Southward Presbyterian, First Baptist, and other churches). The Downtown Master Plan of 2006 put Meridian street on the radar, and the private investments were complemented by attractive street lights, long sidewalks, bike lanes, and new construction design standards.

When you hear the call to participate in the Master Planning Process or The Big Picture this winter, please make every effort to attend, will you?

In any event, make a visit to the interior of Lincoln Mill, check out the shops in the Lincoln Mill Commissary, volunteer at Lincoln Academy, and while you are here, enjoy the sound of old fashioned commerce rolling through our area! (Warren Buffet is watching BSNF, too.)