Rural Main Street businesses have struggled, but some entrepreneurs have taken on the challenge with success

Over the past two decades, rural Main Street rehabs have proved challenging to create and sustain, but some entrepreneurs have seen "the blight as an enticement — not a deterrent," reports Lori Ioannou of The Wall Street Journal. "Many Main Streets are riddled with shuttered storefronts and struggling businesses. Here is a look at three entrepreneurs who challenged the odds on Main Street, and how they fared."

Harvey and his "Delta Dirt" family

Harvey Williams Jr. moved his family from the big city of Dallas to rural Helena-West Helena, Ark., where he grew up. Williams was an agricultural engineer, and as he explored business potentials in his hometown "he was inspired to create Delta Dirt Distillery at 430 Cherry St., making sweet-potato vodka from produce harvested on his family’s farm," Ioannou writes. "The distillery opened in April 2021, and locals began spreading the word on social media. . . . The distillery has become a tourist attraction, and many also take a tour of the Williams farm to learn about the history of Black farmers in America."

While on vacation, Jennifer Jones and her husband Brian fell in love with Big Stone Gap, a former coal town of about 5,300 people "nestled in the Appalachian Mountains," Ioannou reports. The couple closed their California business and moved to the western Virginia town. "In April 2022, they bought a struggling vegan pizzeria and its building on 215 Wood Avenue East. At the time, Wood Ave. East was a shadow of its former glory, lined with failed and struggling businesses."

The Jones family helped revive Big Stone Gap's
Main Street businesses.

The Jones' efforts were rewarded by an outpouring of community support. "The town manager and other local small-business owners and residents pitched in to help get the business up and running," Ioannou writes. "For their part, the Joneses have supported community events and hosted local festivals that have helped market the business. That pay-it-forward mentality among civic leaders and small-business owners has ignited a small-business revival in Big Stone Gap."

Not every Main Street venture is a success. For Bill Waterhouse and his partner, Sonja Olbert, being able to pursue their passions and help their small community meant adapting. Read their story here.