Oct. 4—Joseph and Courtney Hinkle were trying to bring some attention to their smoke shop, Wanna Smoke, 405 S. Main St., by painting the exterior with an eye-catching blue-and-yellow color scheme.
It has worked. They have seen an increase in foot traffic into their store, which is open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
“We have been here for six months. Business is up. It has brought attention to this place, which has been empty for 20 years,” Courtney Hinkle said, noting that she and her husband have put everything into their store, which is nearly overflowing with merchandise.
“We are in this 100%,” she said.
But the new paint scheme has also caught the eye of the historic preservation commission that monitors the Sunshine Lamp District, which is Main Street from First to Eighth streets. The colors do not conform with the district’s design review guidelines, which are spelled out in a 42-page document that can be accessed online. The Hinkles have been notified of this. They also have been told that they cannot hang a banner on the front of their building or add additional lighting to the front of the store.
Hinkle said she was told that the city has had 200 calls about the new paint scheme and that those calls have been complaints.
“We did not see any rules that said we could not repaint the front of this store,” she said. “It’s just another reason why it’s easier to do business on Range Line than on Main Street.”
The need for paint was prompted by a fire. Someone left a lit cigarette at the entrance, which is made of wood. The fire-damaged wood was replaced by the Hinkles.
“We had to paint it after we repaired the damage,” she said.
Hinkle said she is uncertain about what might happen next and is aware that they could be taken to court.
The Hinkles are not alone in their struggles with the district’s guidelines, which have, for the most part, preserved the historic character of the district with appropriate color schemes, window and door designs, and period-appropriate signage. The downtown looks much the way it does thanks to these guidelines.
Priscilla McKinney, owner of Little Bird Marketing, decided she wanted to install a neonlike sign on her new office on the second floor of a building at 512 S. Main St. The new sign, positioned on the second floor over the first-floor entrance, shows a pink nest for the marketing agency. It’s added a touch of color to what is otherwise a monotone streetscape at night.
“I designed it to be mindful of the history of Joplin. I wanted it to fit downtown,” she said.
The city gave its initial approval based on the address of the agency’s former office at 10th and Main streets. The sign was actually intended for 512 S. Main St., where it would not be permitted by the guidelines. With the city’s approval in hand, the sign went up. McKinney would learn in short order that the sign was not appropriate and would have to be taken down. She appealed.
“It has been approved by the city. There is not a ban on neon,” she said.
These are two examples of how the guidelines are impacting businesses in the Sunshine Lamp District. These are not the only examples.
Work begins
The demolition work to transform a former youth ministry into a new campus for Crowder College has begun.
The Victory Ministry and Sports Complex, 3405 Hammons Blvd., formerly known as The Bridge, is being transformed by R.E. Smith Construction into classrooms for a new branch of the Crowder College system. The college will relocate its existing job training program from a leased building in downtown Joplin to the new branch.
Cindy Brown, spokeswoman for Crowder, said the new branch could open a year from now with an enrollment of more than 100 students. The 67,000-square-foot structure sits on 40 acres. The structure’s size creates the potential for Crowder to add programs.
Contact Wally Kennedy at wkennedy@joplinglobe.com.
