SALISBURY, Md. - The Arts and Entertainment District that has been a part of downtown Salisbury since 2007 has gotten bigger. The district, which focuses on things such as urban revitalization and job growth, grew by about 13 acres after getting the green light for expansion from the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development.
Since the arts and entertainment district started in Salisbury, city leaders say 19 businesses and five new restaurants have opened up. One business currently within the district boundaries is Cake Art and the owners there say they have seen downtown business start to come back to life in the last few years.
"When I started five years ago, there were not many businesses open down here and the growth has been amazing. It's been amazing for my business in addition to other businesses," said Cake Art owner, Susan Patt.
The new boundaries of the Arts and Entertainment District include more land across Route 50 from the heart of downtown Salisbury along with a section of the boarder stretching down along the Wicomico River to include the new River's Edge apartment complex. Just a few feet away from that apartment complex is the Chesapeake East Company, an art business in downtown Salisbury, where the owners are hoping more art elements make their way to that part of downtown.
"We hope to bring some of the arts and entertainment over to the river area which is a wonderful area that hasn't quite been discovered yet in Salisbury," said Chesapeake East Company owner, Dana Simson.
The hope among business owners that WBOC spoke with on Wednesday is that while the district expands, the interest in downtown will grow.
"This is just one more step that's going to bring more people downtown. More people wanting to open businesses down here and the more businesses we have open, the more customers are going to come down," said Patt.
The expansion of the Arts and Entertainment District is just another step in the overall plan of making Downtown Salisbury a desirable destination for businesses, visitors, and city residents.
