WHAT'S NEXT: DeSoto seeks economic growth, asks Arcadia residents for ideas

How should DeSoto County, and the City of Arcadia, continue to grow in the future?

I'm Victoria Scott, Arcadia's Community Correspondent. And when I found out economic leaders were hosting an open house Thursday to hear from residents, I made sure to stop by. I also hit downtown Arcadia, to get the perspectives of some of the business owners there.

Victoria Scott

For Charity Ressor, downtown Arcadia has a kind of charm that's hard to resist.

"It has a lot of quirkiness to offer."

She opened the Florida Farmhouse Coffee Shop last December. And she had some thoughts about how to improve downtown.

For one thing, Ressor said the city should stay away from big-box stores.

Victoria Scott

"We definitely need more mom-and-pop businesses - businesses people really care about," Ressor said.

She also wants more business diversity and more jobs. "This city, especially the downtown, needs more diversity as far as the types of shops and types of establishments that we have," said Ressor.

However, there's one thing Reesor wants to see less of in Arcadia: "Right now, we're coming out of an era where everything was antique stores."

Victoria Scott

The concerns Reesor brought up are the types of things DeSoto County Economic Development Director Sondra Guffey is listening for.

"Education is a big demand for improved education. They want better jobs. They want things to do. We're hearing about entertainment and retail and infrastructure."

And on Thursday, Guffey was listening carefully during that open house.

Victoria Scott

"None of these things happen right away, but if we don't have a plan, if you don't have a strategy, we'll just be shooting at everything," she said.

At least they have as good a place as any, to start.

"We love our town," Charity Reesor told me. "It's awesome."