MOUNT VERNON — The Alcove’s executive chef Jared Driesbach said he regularly talks to out-of-town customers coming to the fine dining restaurant in Mount Vernon.
“A least once a month, I hear people in the dining room say they moved here from Columbus or a bigger city,” Driesbach said.
“We’re a destination restaurant and the only fine dining establishment you’ll find in 30 miles, and I think people appreciate that.”
Driesbach said The Alcove has some regulars that keep the staff busy throughout the week, and out-of-town diners fill the dining room on the weekends.
“I’ve been here about five years now and our radius has definitely expanded to probably within a 45-minute to an hour drive for our guests,” Driesbach said.
The Alcove earned a spot in Yelp’s “Top 100 Restaurants in the U.S. & Canada” in 2022, which Driesbach said helped bring in new customers.
He said The Alcove team is cognizant of potential competition buying property and opening new restaurants in Mount Vernon with Intel’s construction and other industry growth in central Ohio.
“Even in the last year or so, I’ve noticed land being sold around here,” the chef said. “We’re not too concerned about competition because we know what we do well and we’ll keep doing that.
“Even with competition that I believe is coming to town, it won’t stand up to the quality and expectation we have here at The Alcove.”
Sherwood, Oregon residents also ask ‘When are we going to get a nice, sit-down restaurant?’
Knox County residents often ask local leaders when the area will get more dining options.
Farrah Burke, Sherwood’s Chamber of Commerce executive director and CEO, told Knox Pages reporters last fall that Sherwood leaders are often asked the same thing.
“I do think we need a fine-dining restaurant,” she said. “We have a lot of pubs, breakfast places, bakeries — things like that. It will be interesting to see what happens, because I know it takes a lot to run a restaurant.”
Clancy’s Pub & Restaurant sits in the middle of “Old Town” Sherwood — approximately a nine-block area in the city’s downtown.
Clancy’s owner Allen Bower said he didn’t have time for an interview, but he’s noticed increased foot traffic over the years at his restaurant.
Business partners Bob Bower and Pat Clancy opened the establishment in 1987. Allen now owns the business, while his father Bob remains involved.
Allen Bower thinks Intel’s campus 17 miles northwest of Sherwood had “a positive economic impact” on the city.
“I’m sure the realtors are thrilled,” he said.
Gregg Jacot, treasurer and former president for Sherwood Main Street, said the two largest impacts Intel had for growth in the downtown area were housing developments and restaurants.
“We also welcomed some restaurants so people can eat in their hometown rather than go to Portland or somewhere else,” he said. “Mason, an Italian restaurant, opened in 2016. The Hungry Hero bakery has been here for about 10 years now as well.
“The city council also recently approved food carts, which Portland is famous for. I hope that encourages people to walk around with food, pop into our shops and things like that.”
“It seems ingrained in everyone to support local first. Whether it’s a great business or not — everyone loves supporting local here.”
— Farrah Burke, Sherwood Chamber of Commerce CEO & executive director
Jacot said some existing restaurant owners were wary of competition coming into town in the form of food carts.
“We had conversations around that, but they say a rising tide lifts all boats,” he said. “One day you might say, ‘I want a different meal than what I can get at my favorite restaurant.’”
Food carts are part of an effort to entice people ages 25 to 40, who generally have more disposable income, to spend time in Sherwood, Jacot said.
“We’re low on retail in the city as well, we have some antique shops and things like that, but part of our strategic plan is to bring in activities and businesses that cater to that young adult audience,” Jacot said.
“I think we have a good thing going. It feels very hometowny. We have a Saturday farmers market, productions at our Center for the Arts. We have some good sports programs for families and kids, so that brings people downtown.”
Jacot says people from larger cities visit Sherwood for events, trick-or-treating
Sherwood Main Street works to promote economic development, community investment and historical preservation in the downtown area.
Events such as the Sherwood Robin Hood Festival, art walks by the Center for the Arts or the Cruisin’ Sherwood car show bring in out-of-town visitors too, Jacot said.
“Even people from Hillsboro attend our trick-or-treating events,” he said. “Which we don’t necessarily want, but we realize it does happen.
“A lot of our funding comes from those events. This year’s wine walk brought in a lot of funds, for example.”
Sherwood Main Street was founded in 2009. The non-profit promotes events from downtown businesses, similar to Mount Vernon Downtown Merchants, and helps local vendors improve facades and community branding.
Sherwood Main Street also has access to multiple rounds of $5 million in funds from the Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant program, which is open to any Oregon Main Street program.
Jacot said Sherwood Main Street had a part-time director whose salary was paid for by a grant for a few years. Now, the organization is made of volunteers, many of whom are business owners.
“Historic” Old Town Sherwood makes up about nine blocks in the city’s center, while downtown in general is about 14 blocks.
Is downtown Sherwood changing?
Old Town Sherwood is in the midst of a five-year strategic plan to revitalize the downtown Sherwood area, host events and bring in more retail shops.
The consulting firm First Forty Feet is collaborating with the city, Sherwood Main Street and other stakeholders. The strategic plan’s objectives include community engagement, business growth, enhanced walkability downtown and site development.
Burke said First Forty Feet has taken about a year to meet with City Council, Sherwood Main Street and members of the public to create the Old Town Strategic Action Plan.
“Some of that is uplifting the infrastructure and bringing anchor businesses — maybe a grocery store that’s local,” Burke said. “We do have a lot of residents downtown that requested something like that.”
While real estate is limited downtown, Burke said the city can enforce an ordinance that requires a certain number of open hours for a business if leadership wants to.
“I know that exists, but as far as I know we don’t enforce it,” she said. “If we did, there might be five or six spots that the city would say either keep your businesses open, or we need to find other opportunities for these areas.
“Sherwood has wineries and restaurants, but we have a lot of salons, lawyers, accountants and businesses that don’t necessarily lend themselves to being open for extended hours.”
Burke said growing up and now holding a leadership position in Sherwood, the city’s residents have always emphasized supporting local businesses.
“It seems ingrained in everyone to support local first,” she said. “Whether it’s a great business or not — everyone loves supporting local here.
“They’ll go outside of the city if they need something our businesses don’t have, but all-in-all residents want to bolster local businesses.”