Hotel Bella just opened in downtown Gulfport, along with a moonshine shop, a new restaurant, a European sandwich shop, and the Mississippi Aquarium’s new “Secret Secrets” exhibit.
What happens next year could rival these developments.
Renowned Mississippi chef Robert St. John plans to open The Downtowner restaurant in early 2025, serving breakfast and lunch in the nostalgic Triplet Day building on 14th Street. is. The drugstore opened in 1955 and remained a popular downtown gathering spot for 65 years.
Starting in February, Breeze Airlines will fly between Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport and Orlando on Thursdays and Sundays. This opens up travel routes for people in South Mississippi who want to visit Disney and Universal Studios, as well as people in Central Florida who want to experience Mardi Gras in South Mississippi and enjoy the casinos of the Coast.
The new FitNest gym, located at 1223 30th Ave., will open in downtown Gulfport around the beginning of this year, serving people who work downtown and potential residents of new downtown housing. And while it’s not a French restaurant as originally planned, a new business is taking shape in an ornate building at 1321 27th Ave. in Gulfport, said Kristen Garriga, director of the Gulfport Main Street Association. he said.
The historic Markham Hotel in downtown Gulfport is being renovated, and Mayor Billy Hughes says he expects the hotel to reopen in the city in 2025. Hannah Ruhoff
Mayor Billy Hughes said this could be the year the Markham Hotel, destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, returns to downtown Gulfport. “We believe Markham will be fully open in 2025,” he said.
This business boom didn’t just happen, Hughes said, but is a “continuation of exciting efforts” to make downtown more attractive and vibrant.
Gulfport wins new business
Vacant buildings present both an opportunity and a challenge for downtown Gulfport, Hughes said.
In March, a real estate consultant hired through a grant secured by Gulfport Main Street determined what was needed downtown. Research shows that by far the shortfall is in grocery and convenience stores, with a $77 million gap in essentials, and that gap is expected to grow to $126 million by 2028. has been done.
A vacant building with broken windows in downtown Gulfport is both a challenge and an opportunity, Mayor Billy Hughes says. The city is working to find a new tenant. Hannah Ruhoff
“With that market analysis, we started talking to real estate agents who had vacant buildings in the area,” Garriga said, “and started reaching out to some investors.” he said. Through a partnership with Mississippi Power and Coast Transit, “we invited all investors,” she said. They filled a 39-passenger bus and toured 25 properties.
“Of those 25 vacant properties, eight of them were no longer vacant within the next two months,” she said. These businesses, like Tavi’s Salmería, are opening in renovated buildings.
Credit Garriga and local real estate agents for bringing The Downtowner to Gulfport. “We reached out to them,” Garriga said, after a real estate agent put together a presentation and sent it to St. John’s stating the need for a breakfast restaurant downtown.
Backlot at Trackside was a project that used restored shipping containers to create retail stores, connecting downtown to the port and giving people a new place to shop and gather. Provided by Gulfport Main Street
Garriga said the biggest thing he would like to see in downtown Gulfport is to see The Backlot plans revived and bring more retail back downtown. The plan was to convert a shipping container, a connection to a nearby port, into a small incubator retail facility, along with some office and apartment space.
“I really want to get that project off the ground. I think it’s necessary,” she said. “I think if we can attract these businesses and come into that location at a discount and expand their footprint, that’s going to be a great asset. Then they could potentially grow into one of our larger buildings.” there is.”
Living in the city is ideal
Hughes said it’s the downtown lifestyle he’d like to see come back. He said the proposed mixed-use project, Gulfport Town Center, is still in the planning stages.
“When I say mixed-use, I’m talking about everything from retail to downtown living to even some restaurants. Things that will make an already walkable and fun downtown even more appealing. ,” Hughes said.
Vacant lots in downtown Gulfport are prime spaces for restaurants, retail or apartments. Hannah Ruhoff
Brian Boris, a commercial real estate agent with NAI Sawyer in Gulfport, said there is limited availability in the downtown core. Every time a new business opens, it attracts similar businesses, he said.
“It seems like it’s mainly about entertainment,” he said, adding that it also includes restaurants, bars and nightlife.
“Young professionals are moving into the area, and they want to live downtown,” Garriga said. They want to be able to walk to the park and shop downtown, she said.
Kristen Garriga, director of the Gulfport Main Street Association, hopes to see retail return to downtown Gulfport in addition to restaurants and other businesses opening in 2024 and 2025. I’m here. Hannah Ruhoff
Southern Railroad Commission Chairman Knox Ross said when Amtrak trains resume in 2025, they will be able to live near the beach in Gulfport and take the train to work in New Orleans.
“Ultimately, the Mississippi Coast will be even more livable than it is today,” he says.
He said the train, which will make two round trips a day in each direction, will allow coastal residents to avoid the headaches of congestion during the expansion of Interstate 10. They took a train to Mobile and New Orleans, took a cruise, spent the night before at a nearby hotel, and “maybe be able to leave before paying for a week’s worth of parking,” he said.
The train is late but it’s on its way
Coast has been waiting for Amtrak passenger trains to return to Gulfport Station since Katrina. Construction issues in Mobile have all but dashed hopes of opening the service in time for the Super Bowl in New Orleans in February, Ross said.
The latest projections show rail service from New Orleans to Mobile along the Mississippi Gulf Coast will begin in mid-2025, he said.
Railroad tracks run through downtown Gulfport and will bring Amtrak passenger trains into the city when service resumes early next year. Across the tracks, businesses like Pop Brothers stand to benefit from the foot traffic that officials believe will be generated by trains running from New Orleans to Mobile. Mary Perez
What Amtrak means for Gulfport and Southern Mississippi — “It’s hard to know for sure,” Ross said.
“The biggest thing is that a lot of new tourism and opportunities are opening up for our city,” he said.
As many as 100 people could arrive on the coast from New Orleans or Mobile over the weekend “if we have the money to spend,” he said. “They’re coming here to have a good experience.”
All Mississippi cities with Amtrak stops (Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, Pascagoula) have become more walkable since Katrina, but this is a bit unique for Amtrak stops, he said. Ta.
Penguin and poker chips are tied
“I think Amtrak will be great for curiosity seekers who don’t have to drive and want to experience a new community,” Hughes said. “Amtrak will be a great addition to our tourism mix,” he said.
The Mississippi Aquarium’s penguin and dolphin cruises along the coastline may be the impetus for passengers to choose whether to disembark for a few hours or stay overnight in Gulfport. They may be drawn to the games at Island View Casino, the beauty of the beaches, and the dozens of restaurants and nightlife spots. All of these are within walking distance or a short bus, Uber or taxi ride from the station.
Amtrak boarding platforms are ready in Gulfport and three other cities in southern Mississippi where passenger trains will stop starting in 2025. Mary Perez
“We’re ready for it,” said Chris Foret, deputy executive director of the Coastal Transportation Authority, which has a bus pick-up point in downtown Gulfport.
He said attraction links on the website show all the locations people can visit on CTA’s bus lines, including Route 34 to Gulfport Train Station, the nation’s largest model train experience. It even includes a stick.
Foret said the best thing to do at the beach is “to put your feet in the sand,” and the CTA runs a free trolley from March through Labor Day to the CTA Hub and Jones Park next to the aquarium. Just over US90 to the beach. The CTA also has a scenic trolley along the coast and a casino hopper that runs through Gulfport every 20 to 25 minutes and connects to the casinos in Biloxi.
Here are the people who said they would take the train.
An online survey earlier this year asked whether Amtrak service would be restored from Mobile through Mississippi to New Orleans and how many times a year people would use it.
Some said they would only ride once or never, while others were excited about the possibilities.
Some of the answers included:
“It depends on the price and speed.”
“We fly to New Orleans a few times a year to visit family in Mobile, so instead of driving two and a half hours, we can just take the train with the kids.”
“I think I’ll be able to attend four or five times a year because I won’t have to drive up I-10 to NOLA. I love riding the train. The naysayers are always the loudest in any conversation. Masu.”
That would be great. I go there often for conferences and work, so I would definitely like to use it so I can get some work done in between. ”
“It’s worth it to me to be able to go see friends, have some food and drinks, and not have to worry about the ride home.”
“There will probably be at least a few people. I hope the trucks go somewhere else. I’d like to see more of America without getting in a car or plane.”
Ross said one of the benefits of Amtrak coming to Gulfport is that from there you can catch trains all over the U.S. and Canada.
