Six Storefronts in One Month, and No Tax Break Behind Them
October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
"I don't think there is a formal reason or incentives like tax breaks," Marion Village Chamber of Commerce President Nicole Johnson told the Cadillac News in September. "In recent years, the sense of community and building Marion back up has grown stronger."
She was explaining how six businesses opened in Marion during August. A village this size usually gets a run like that when a grant program, a relocation incentive, or a developer's package starts it. According to Johnson, Marion had none of those. The run started with a festival weekend and kept going after it.
Marion Old Fashioned Days opened on Friday, July 31, 2026. Vendors were lined up on both sides of Main Street hours before the evening's Cruise-In Car Show, children's games at the Marion Fire Department, live music, and a statewide cornhole tournament. Organizers said this was the biggest and busiest Old Fashioned Days in the festival's recent history. Johnson said the event had grown over the past five years, with more people taking part in nearly every event.
"(Friday's) already started out even better than it ever has in years past," Johnson said. "I'm amazed at how full the streets already are."
Saturday, August 1, was the main day. The Children's Parade went first, then the Grand Parade at 10:30 a.m. The afternoon had arm wrestling, an inflatable costume race, a watermelon-eating contest, the Greased Pig Contest, muddy tug of war, laser tag, and pony rides. The Marion VFW Auxiliary ran its raffle for local veterans and community programs, and the grand prize was a Wicked Ridge crossbow. Auxiliary President Amy Simons and member Mary Wright worked the booth on Main Street. The night ended with Slick Jimmy playing a concert on the closed-off Main Street, followed by the yearly fireworks over the Mill Pond.
"The whole entire Main Street just stays shut down, and we set up a band right in the middle of the street, turn on the black lights and have a giant party." Nicole Johnson, Marion Chamber of Commerce
The festival packed Main Street for one weekend, which plenty of small towns can do. Marion's month after the festival is the unusual part.
Johnson listed six businesses that opened in August.
| Business | What it is | What's known so far |
|---|---|---|
| The Wash House | Salon | One of two new salons this month |
| La Rue's | Salon | The other new salon |
| Hooked Up Fishing Bait and Tackle | Bait and tackle shop | 113 E Main St., stocks bait including perch minnows |
| M-115 4 Corners | Restaurant | Called both a diner and a grill in local coverage; listed at 15086 M-115 |
| Northern Glass and Vape | Retail | Opened during August |
| Hometown Health and Allergy | Health and allergy business | Opened late in the month; owned by Marion native Marcia Hammar |
Archie's Pizza also opened a little earlier. Johnson counts it as part of the same growth, along with Olde Mill Venue, which opened in 2020.
Nearly every category on that list serves people who already live here. Two salons, a bait shop, a restaurant at a crossroads, and a health business are places you go back to every few weeks. Seasonal gift shops that only open for summer visitors aren't on the list.
Johnson pointed to two details about the people opening these businesses.
The first is Marcia Hammar. She grew up in Marion and had been running Hometown Health and Allergy somewhere else before moving it back to her hometown. She could have stayed where she was and chose to come back to Marion instead, which says more about the village's pull than any festival-weekend crowd.
The second is the age of the owners. Johnson said many of the new businesses are run by younger people. "I think Marion is growing, and to see that burst of growth is encouraging, to see young people starting their own businesses," she said.
Put those together and you get her explanation for August. "There is a sense of pride in the community and wanting it to do well," she said. In her telling, more people are working to make Marion a better place, and last month that took the form of investing in the town and starting businesses.
Hooked Up Fishing Bait and Tackle shows how the new shops fit into what Marion already has. The shop is at 113 E Main St. and sells tackle and bait, including perch minnows. You can check stock and contact details on the shop's website.
The Middle Branch River runs close by. The village describes Veteran's Memorial Park as sitting on the Middle Branch River Walk, with a designated trout stream holding brown and brook trout. The park also has a playground, a basketball court, pavilions, baseball and softball fields, and a disc golf course. The village campground page lists those amenities, so you can plan a fall afternoon that starts at the shop and ends on the River Walk.
The Mill Pond, where the festival fireworks go up, is part of the same water. Christopher Clark dammed the Middle Branch River in the 1870s to power a mill. The Cadillac News dates the pond to 1876, and the state historical marker dates it to 1878. Marion grew up around a mill, and one of the projects still underway is at an old mill site too.
Johnson told the Cadillac News "the growth isn't finished yet," and the two projects she named are both restorations.
The Olde Mill Tavern. Olde Mill Venue is at 314 N. Mill St. It took an old storage barn and feed store, plus a grain mill the venue dates to about 1888, and turned them into event space. The reception hall seats up to 350 people, and the grain-mill space seats up to 50. The next step is to turn the granary into The Olde Mill Tavern, an upscale bar and grille with a chef running the kitchen. Johnson did not know when it would open.
The Frosty Freeze. The Frosty Freeze has new owners who are revamping and restoring it. The Cadillac News report did not give a reopening date, so check back before you plan an ice cream stop.
Both projects follow the same pattern as August. Owners are putting money into buildings Marion already has. Johnson was also clear that the work isn't done. Downtown still has vacant buildings and storefronts. In her view, the change is that people are excited about the village again and more buildings are filling up.
Here is a short list drawn from this year's openings and the places around them. Hours weren't published with the openings, so call ahead:
Most of the businesses on that list opened this summer, and Olde Mill Venue has been open since 2020. Johnson credits that kind of local investment, not incentives, for filling the storefronts.
When you're ready to talk about Marion's Main Street, the old mill buildings off Mill Street, or what this kind of growth means for a property you own or have your eye on, Daniella Bell Group knows these Osceola County streets block by block. Find Your Beautiful Life.
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