Living in
DOWNTOWN SHREVEPORT BY ADAM BAILEY
With the explosion of residential development—along with all the restaurant, retail, and entertainment options—downtown Shreveport is definitely the up-and-coming place to live in Shreveport-Bossier. It is said that the only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance. What’s holding you back?
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uburban life is not for the faint-of-heart. The house needs to be maintained. The yard has to be mowed, mulched, weeded, pruned and planted. Sure, you can pay someone to do this, but that costs money and time. And while it’s true that it can be satisfying to tame your tiny slice of the planet, it can also get old. Real old.
Maybe you never liked it in the first place. Maybe you’d rather admire the landscape of local parks, where the grass and swaths of seasonal flowers are magically manicured by invisible garden elves. What if you lived downtown? This other way of life—living downtown in the center of the city—doesn’t mean you’re to be pitied because your yard is a concrete balcony. In fact, downtown residents have a message for those living in the suburbs. Downtowners aren’t missing a thing, but you are missing something by not living downtown!
14
JULY 2021
| SBMAG.NET
Downtown Shreveport
A place where busy professionals grab a hot cup of java togo at Rhino Coffee as they hustle to work during the week, and nursing students hurry off to class. On Saturday mornings, many residents descend upon the Shreveport Farmers’ Market, with its wide array of luscious fruit and vegetables, tasty treats and fabulous eateries. Home to 14,000 workers, downtown Shreveport is the city’s center for technology, banking, law, government, gaming, and the arts. New restaurants and businesses are constantly popping up, while old buildings are being revitalized and renovated. “In the middle of the action is where you want to be,” says Liz Swain, Executive Director of the Downtown Development Authority. “Downtown Shreveport is the place of festivals, art and culture. The Strand Theatre, the Emmett Hook Center, Robinson Film Center, Artspace, Central Art Station, the Bailey Gallery—all these places are bustling with activity. There are so many things to do!”
