SAN ANGELO, Texas — Downtown San Angelo, Inc. is continuing to strive to revitalize and develop the downtown area.
Currently, there are a little more than 50 buildings vacant, according to DTSA. However, in 2017, when the organization started tracking the number of facilities, there were more than 120 vacant and unutilized buildings in the downtown and central business district area.
Del Velasquez, Downtown San Angelo, Inc. executive director said, the organization continues to promote and encourage businesses to utilize downtown space.
"We would love for all of our buildings to be full and be a vibrant part of our community. The more businesses that we have, the more tax revenue that is generated. It helps everybody relative to a financial perspective," Velasquez said.
"Our goal is to promote downtown, to try to recruit businesses to come downtown. We do that on an ongoing basis. There are various ways that we approach the need for creating new businesses downtown. So yes, we are instrumental in and work in that space continuously. That's what we do almost every day."
Jerry Karmany, She Shack owner, has a business in the heart of downtown San Angelo where she sells anything from fashion jewelry to metal works. Karmany moved into her building to start her business not too long after her husband died, but because she moved in during the COVID-19 pandemic, she was forced to close her shop almost as soon as she opened it.
Karmany is now back in business and said she is proud to be one of the many businesses moving back into the downtown area.
"No one knew I was here. I opened up and closed down the same week. It makes more people downtown. People come to go to shops like this and cafes, and they stop in at mine," Karmany said.
Downtown San Angelo, Inc. said it will continue to send quarterly vacant building reports with the hopes of getting the funding to fill those now-empty buildings.
