PLEASANT HILL, Mo. — Walking around downtown Pleasant Hill, you'll see local businesses among the history. From renovated buildings to millions in investment, business owners told us they've seen big changes.
Julie Brown and her husband opened their antique shop, Brown's Vintage & Variety, in downtown Pleasant Hill years before they decided to move there. They first came to town when they were looking for the perfect spot for their shop.
"We came on a Sunday. It felt like a ghost town, and I was like, 'What are we doing here?'" Brown said. "This downtown has really grown and changed in the last eight years."
Brown grew up in a small town in Montana, so she said it was that small-town feeling that drew her family to Pleasant Hill.
"You just see that small-town charm; kind of gives you that Hallmark feeling," she said.
Lisa Hoffman now owns a store downtown, too. The Lee's Summit resident grew up in a small town in Nebraska.
Hoffman, owner of Willow Boutique, told me she first came to Pleasant Hill because of her son's wrestling tournament.
"And I started exploring," she said. "I saw the little signs that said downtown, and I always have an interest in historic downtown."
Both business owners said they spent time renovating and breathing new life into their spaces first.
When I reached out to the city, a spokesperson told me about 20 buildings have been renovated, or are being renovated now, in the last decade.
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The Pleasant Hill Main Street Program began in 2018, according to a spokesperson for Missouri Mainstreet Connection.
Since 2020, that organization said Pleasant Hill's downtown historic district has seen 11 net new businesses, 16 net new jobs created, and 5.2 million in public and private investment.
You can see that investment in places like Peoples Theatre.
"I'm a believer that these little downtowns are the heartbeat of a city," Hoffman said. "You know if the historic downtown is thriving, the rest of the city is, too."
Being a part of the Main Street Connection was another reason Hoffman said she felt drawn to open her shop in Pleasant Hill five years ago.
Hoffman and Brown are both volunteers and part of the Pleasant Hill Historic District.
"I'd like to be a part of that growth, maybe be a part of the reason why it is doing better," Hoffman said.
You can find more information about the Pleasant Hill Historic District, businesses in downtown Pleasant Hill, their farmers market, events and more here.
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