Page 42 - South Mississippi Living - June, 2020

JACKSON COUNTY
OCEAN SPRINGS
Amoving forward story by Cynthia Dobbs Sutton
photos courtesy of Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce-Main Street-Tourism Bureau
Ocean Springs continues to grow as we move through this coronavirus pandemic. The rst thing one sees when driving into downtown are two huge banners
at the entrance that read, “Ocean Springs Community Strong.” You’ll also see a similar sign when turning east o Highway 57 into town.
Cynthia
Dobbs Sutton, Executive Director, Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce-Main Street-Tourism Bureau
It has been amazing to see how both our business and resident community have banned together, from virtual graduation and virtual Breakfast with the Mayor to creative neighborhood Facebook page chats and merchant group pages. Many of our local businesses, which previously hadn’t focused on websites for merchandise, now thrive on online sales and Instagram posts. Curbside dining has become a new way of life.
We at the Ocean Springs Chamber- Main Street-Tourism Bureau have become inventive by hosting our rst
BREAKFAST WITH THE MAYOR on Facebook live. CURBSIDE Restaurants and ONLINE Retailers.
Our partnership with the Ocean Springs Garden
Club continues to take shape as we work on plans for beauti cation e orts and assistance to the city around town. Even Dr. Gary Bachman, horticulturalist with Mississippi State University Extension Services, has joined in to help with our e orts around town.
From businesses getting ready to celebrate 50 years in business (shout-out to Hillyer House), to color coming alive around town, our city is Ocean Springs Community Strong and ready to welcome you.
virtual Breakfast with the Mayor event live on Facebook on April 24. For the rst time ever, our Visitor Center turned into a lming studio with lights, cameras, microphones and more. What a success the event was!
Many of our businesses are taking opportunities during this time to grow and change as well. Some of our
local businesses have made renovations to the insides of their shops and others have updated their inventory in anticipation of recent openings to bring shoppers back into town.
Inside the L&N Depot, we have started some renovations of our own. We have recently uncovered original wood ooring in the Visitor Center. As with any building
that’s over 100 years old, renovations and redesigns are inevitable. While taking advantage of the slower pace of tra c, we have been preparing the Depot to welcome guests into town once again.
42 | June 2020 www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living