Pine Street draws eyes to Abilene's economic development and business potential

The recent growth to Pine Street in the past months has showcased the possibilities for economic development in this area of Abilene.

Misty Mayo, president and CEO of the Development Corporation of Abilene, named Pine Street as one of the most important streets in the downtown area.

"Pine Street is the main entrance into downtown, and that really says something about our community. The fact that there is a number of new investments happening on the Pine Street corridor, I think it's building enthusiasm for further development," Mayo said.

With a mission to attract and retain businesses that create primary jobs for Abilenians, the DCOA attributes growth on Pine Street to the healthcare and health science entities along the corridor.

"From the Development Corporation's standpoint, the Pine Street corridor is so critical because it is our health sciences and innovation hub," Mayo said.

Community demand in this area will continue to climb to accommodate the growth, partnerships and projects with Hardin-Simmons University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and Hendrick Health located along Pine Street.

The projects happening with these entities have stirred conversations as to what is needed along Pine Street, Mayo said. Community enthusiasm paired with business growth will increase demand for housing and residential opportunities as well as retail.

"All growth happens slowly," Mayo said. "I think we'll see more growth along Pine Street as the community works to grow primary jobs, and the city will work to meet the demand."

Not only is there growth in the sciences, but Pine Street serves as a gateway to the cultural district in downtown Abilene.

The improvements to the Abilene Convention Center, DoubleTree hotel and other businesses along Pine Street serve as examples to the opportunities for business development.

"There is momentum building on Pine Street with its current projects, yet there is so much potential for local businesses that are interested in growing a footprint in our community," Mayo said.

The expansion of locally-owned business Grain Theory has drawn eyes to the Pine Street corridor on the northside.

Co-owners Matthew Cogburn, David Kasselman and Jeramie Sivley opened their downtown location in 2020 with a mission to provide a community-focused restaurant with a high-quality menu and beer selection.

The drive to open the brewery location, 1466 Pine St., was to fulfill their goals of crafting and producing local beer.

"We knew the downtown location was the best first step but quickly realized we could not produce the volume of beer we needed to meet future growth goals," Cogburn said. "We are very much a brewery at heart, and we knew we would eventually need to open a second production facility to achieve our brewery goals and make a name for Abilene in the craft beer scene."

Conveniently, when searching for property for the brewery, the trio found their production facility on Pine Street a couple blocks from their brewpub location.

With the opening of their new manufacturing and distribution facility, the owners believe they will start to see more local business growth to the Pine Street corridor.

"Just like our current downtown location became an anchor establishment for attracting other businesses downtown, we believe this new location will help bring other businesses to the area," Kasselman said.

With plans to open a taproom for guests to tour the brewery, watch a game or enjoy a beer and possibly host family-friendly events to bring in larger crowds, the hope is to attract future businesses to the area, Kasselman said.

This recent addition to Grain Theory is only the beginning for business growth in Abilene.

"In the few short years of Grain Theory being in operation, we've seen this expanding field of improvement and potential around us," Sivley said. "Even in our short drive from the downtown brewpub to the new production brewery, we seem to pass by a newly improved property or renovated business regularly.

"And that's not just downtown. It's radiating outward and feels a little bit like a chain reaction of growth across all of Abilene."

With projects happening in downtown, Allen Ridge and south of town, it feels like Abilene is starting to transition from a town stuck in its ways to a place full of excitement, opportunity and optimism, a city on the rise, Sivley said.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Pine Street draws eyes to Abilene's economic development and business potential