From the St. Louis Post Dispatch....
Monday, August 24, 1992

ONE TOWN'S PLAN FOR STAYING STRONG

GREENVILLE, Ill.

Unlike many rural communities, Greenville's downtown has not died on the vine. The
small retail stores and restaurants that ring the Bond County courthouse square
continue to draw customers from the surrounding area.

But merchant Sandy Loyd knows too well that continued success will take a community
effort.

''We lose a lot when a town loses its downtown square,'' Loyd said. ''It's part of the
history of the community.''

Loyd and her husband, Van, own the Rainbow House, a gift and book store just off the
square. She is one of the five members of the steering committee for the Greenville
Business and Professional Association.

The association develops plans and programs to draw new customers to Greenville. A
major new project is the installation of permanent Christmas lights on the courthouse
as part of an annual Christmas program.

''It will cost $20,000 and [the money] will be raised by donations,'' she said.

Loyd said Greenville is fortunate because local merchants like Vicki Ellsworth take a
personal role in the community. Ellsworth is president of the association.

''Ellsworth moved back into town with her husband and they have bought four
businesses,'' Loyd said.

''That's what you are finding. Younger merchants, under 30, coming in. Then you have a
lot who are middle-aged, 50s, like me!'' Loyd said with a laugh.

''We live above the store,'' Loyd said. ''That's what we wanted to do. We need to
reestablish that downtown tradition.''

Loyd and her group are also networking with merchants in neighboring communities to
develop more tourism.

''Many downtowns have a second life as antique [shopping] areas,'' Loyd said. ''We are
beginning to band together to market the idea of towns within a 20-miles radius for
tourism.

''Pocahontas already has antique stores. What we would like to see is people driving
out for the day, going from town to town.'' Pocahontas is about 10 miles southwest of
Greenville.

But Loyd and other Greenville residents realize the new federal prison will bring
changes.

Mayor Eldon Turley said the prison will add 250 new jobs.

''Half of those will be experienced people who will transfer in,'' said Turley.

That means more families, perhaps adding as many as 1,000 to 1,500 more residents
to the town's current population of 5,200.

''When [the prison] gets here - right, wrong; good, bad - you will see a Wal-Mart or
another discount store,'' said local businessman Dick DeMoulin. ''With the number of
people that will bring, we will almost be required to have nice strip mall.''

Turley said land is already zoned for such a mall on the south side of town.

Loyd knows what could happen and has already talked to a leading expert on Wal-Mart
and small-town merchants. Professor Kenneth Stone, an economist at Iowa State
University, ''said when a Wal-Mart [and other discount stores] come in town, they take
about 75 percent of the downtown business,'' Loyd said.

But Loyd remains optimistic that the downtown with its personalized service will
survive.

''We are pretty competitive,'' she said.

- William Flannery