Olde Towne Nipomo is what some residents consider to be the heart of the town. Stores, homes and restaurants line Tefft Street. One of those restaurants is the Mayors Place, which has been open for more than 25 years.
Owner Gina Dillman said even though it seems like more people are moving into town, fewer people are visiting Olde Towne and The Mayors Place is struggling because of it.
This is my baby,” Dillman said. “It’s hard to watch it not do well like it used to. It’s Sunday, where is everybody?
Dillman said there have been many changes in the area that she feels is pulling away from Olde Townes character.
I just don’t want all the Olde Towne feel gone,” Dillman said. “They’re trying to make it cliquey or popular with all this fancy stuff. Obviously we’re not fancy, but a lot of people love us here.
One local nonprofit is looking to help revitalize this part of Nipomo in hopes of bringing more people to Olde Towne while preserving the classic feel of the area. The Calvary Chapel in Olde Towne Nipomo is more than 125 years old.
The Dana Adobe nonprofit received the church in September. Jim Corridan is the board of directors president. He said they have plans to bring more people to this part of Nipomo.
We see this as an opportunity for us to help revitalize the town, but keep that old historic flavor and help generate more interest in Nipomo so that people understand that there are still elements of early, early California here, Corridan said.
The Dana Adobe will be transforming the front lobby area into an office for Visit Nipomo and a partial museum of Nipomo history. Its also going to be an anchor point for a walking tour of Olde Townes historic spots.
This walking tour will lead to the Dana Adobe through Jim Miller Park, which was recently given funds for revitalization itself. The new park plans show a trail from the park to the Dana Adobe, connecting it to Tefft Street.
But every Sunday, people still gather at the century-old church for services. Corridan said the congregation wont be bothered by the changes.
The big sanctuary portion of the church will stay just like it is, so that you can have 100 people going to church every week, and there’ll be no negative impact to them at all,” he said.
Corridan said theyre planning to redo the roof and open up a space for weddings. But these renovations cost money. He said that while they dont have a concrete number, the changes will cost somewhere in the tens of thousands of dollars.
The Dana Adobe is currently accepting donations for the renovations.