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GUIDE TO YELLOW SPR INGS  |  2020 – 2021 7 Pemberton’s barbershop, Hawk’s shoe repair shop and Hunter-Harris Radio-Electric (H&H), an appliance store. Between the ’40s and ’60s, downtown was desegregated in a town-gown collabora- tion that bitterly divided the downtown merchants and the community, but also saw its residents come together in the pursuit of equality. Eschliman, who was born here in 1948, remembers that one could get almost everything they needed downtown. At one time there was even a state license bureau where one could renew their driver’s license and vehicle registration. “There has been a definite shift between businesses that provide local services to businesses that are aimed at visitors,” she said. Downtown was starting to change by the 1970s, when the development of freeways and the suburbanization of the Dayton area increased competition for merchants. Turnover in spaces was high and “everybody was just getting by,” according to one proprietor. Marcia Wallgren, owner of Ohio Silver since 1974, remembers that every time the local merchants went to publish a map of the downtown shops, it had to be redrawn. In a listing circa 1977, downtown shops sold hand- crafted jewelry, backpack - ing equipment, water beds, weaving and knitting sup - plies, international imports, fantasy books, records, natural foods, boutiques, stained glass, music and art supplies. Most of those stores are gone, but perhaps more remarkably, a few are still in business. Among them are Ohio Silver, Bonadies Glasstudio, Epic Book Shop, Yellow Springs Pottery and Earth Rose, plus Ha Ha Pizza and the Winds Cafe. According to Wallgren, at that time a new generation of “hippie entrepreneurs” set up businesses not to make money, but to make enough to live here and pursue their passion. The “hippie values” at the time included rejec - tion of mass-produced goods and corporate values and a renewed interest in “do-it- yourself,” arts and crafts, arti - sanal food, music and other cultures, Wallgren added. “Hippies rejected the monotony of suburban life,” Wallgren recalled. “Our busi- nesses were labors of love.” Hippie values and aesthet- ics went mainstream. Back in the ‘70s, tourists came to “watch the hippies” accord- ing to Eschliman. Today they come to buy handmade arts and crafts, watch an art film, grab a smoothie or craft beer, eat local food, do yoga, go for a hike or bike ride and, still, people watch. More recently, the village pivoted to a destination economy centered on its strong downtown follow- ing the loss of several large industrial employers in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Efforts to promote Yellow Springs as “everyone’s favor- ite place,” paid off for many businesses, while locals struggled with the changes to the community brought by increasing tourism. Despite its apparent success, downtown Yellow Springs faces threats. Even before the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, margins were tight in many shops as competi - tion intensified from big box stores and online retailers. Development continues in the greater Dayton region and consumer preferences change, often favoring cost and convenience above other factors. Then, in early 2020, to slow the spread of COVID- 19, many merchants were forced to shutter, limit their capacity or alter their busi- ness model. Jamie Sharp of Yellow Springs Toy Company expressed concern about the potential long-term impact of COVID-19 on downtown when the News spoke with her earlier this year. While downtown is “vital to a sense of place,” it is changing, she said, and many are unaware how precarious the situation is for some merchants. “To the general Yellow Springs public, it’s really important for them to under- stand that we’re looking at the loss of our Main Street and it’s a lot closer than we think,” she said. Bearing this out, down- town’s anchor stores — such as it’s grocery, hardware store and pharmacy — strug- gle in a business environment dominated by massive corpo- rations and online shopping. Not able to rely on tourism alone, they continue to need villagers who value the small and local. Their support is what will likely determine downtown’s future as a “unique mix.” LaMers believes villagers’ commitment to supporting their local busi - nesses is the single most important factor for down- town’s success, and it can be summarized in one concept, “enlightened thinking.” Downtown, once again, may be ripe for reinvention. As the past informs the pres- ent, it also holds answers for the future. How did downtown persevere, and how can it be fortified during trying times? This year’s Guide teases the threads of the down- town fabric to reveal its evolution. But above all, it celebrates downtown Yellow Springs — as it was and as it is — with high hopes for what it may be. View a current map of downtown and a listing of businesses and establish- ments on pages 84 and 85. PHOTO: AXEL BAHNSEN, ANTIOCHIANA, ANTIOCH COLLEGE. Antioch College professor of biology Henry “Chief” Federighi at the magazine rack at Furay’s Drugstore in the late ’40s/early ’50s. PHOTO: JULIE STEINHILBER The Kings Yard pedestrian mall was developed by a group of business leaders in the 1970s. Pictured are two early shops from that time period, Yellow Springs Strings, a weaving supply store, and Yellow Springs Pottery, a co-op still in business.