Marshall has changed so much since we moved here back in '75. It's become a veritable happening place. This month's Our State magazine put the Star Diner on the cover and devoted multiple pages to Marshall's on-going renaissance. Much energy and creativity and money has gone into rescuing what was a moribund town and re-purposing some of the iconic buildings.
In '75 Marshall had, in addition to its courthouse and sheriff's office and jail, two banks, a funeral home, two florists, a grocery, a library, a department store, a dime store, two hardware stores, a school, an appliance store, a drug store, two car dealerships, and a post office. The courthouse and post office remain but most of the others have gone out of business or have moved to the bypass or nearby, and the empty spaces have become apartments and boutique businesses -- antiques, galleries, studios, a coffee house, several up scale eateries. It's good for the town--all these energetic folks bringing their dreams to life. I applaud their zeal -- while remembering fondly when the empty streets were swept every evening by one guy with a push broom.