Is downtown really empty?

Heidi Kingsolver has seen them come and go.

Sometimes they are here to stay. Other times, they struggle and leave.

But Kingsolver’s Ottawa Paint, 109 S. Main St., is one business that has been able to withstand the changes year in and year out — for 13 years.

Throughout Kingsolver’s more than a decade of business on Main Street, she’s seen many changes — bad and good. But right now, Kingsolver says she thinks the latter applies.

“Like anybody, I hate to see empty buildings,” Kingsolver said. “I think our block is pretty thriving.”

Kingsolver said despite the struggling economy, there are only two empty buildings near her business — and that is an improvement from years past.

“That’s better than it’s been,” she said.

Like Kingsolver, Cathy Sutton has been on Main Street for a long time, and she doesn’t plan on leaving any time soon.

“I’ve been there for so long,” Sutton, owner of Sutton’s Jewelry, 207 Main St., said. “There’s just not any reason to be moving. People know where I’m at.”

But that doesn’t mean businesses on Main Street haven’t been impacted by the economy — they have, just like everyone else.

“In my business, there has been a big drop off of people coming in,” Sutton said. “They aren’t spending quite as much, but I think it’s everywhere.”

Despite the nation-wide economic situation, Katy Boothe, Ottawa Main Street Association director, said she thinks downtown Ottawa is doing well.

“We’re working diligently to continue getting some more interested,” she said. “We have a couple of different places that we’re trying to recruit and others that have just come to see us.”

With new businesses coming and few businesses leaving, Sutton said she thinks local businesses are doing better here than in other cities.

“We could have been dropping like flies but we haven’t,” she said. “That’s the sign that the businesses are run well by the individual business owners.”

Still, Boothe said she’s trying to keep the downtown booming — if not for the sake of business, then for the sake of history.

“Once the historic downtowns start fading, they start looking like ghost towns, start losing their spark and the city tends to suffer for it,” Boothe said. “I would love for it to be a hub for families and the community to gather down here and really make it the heart of our city.”

It’s this rich history and invaluable location that makes Sutton want to stay.

Plus, she really likes the look of her building.

“I don’t think I could move anywhere else that would have that nice facade on the outside,” Sutton said.

Kingsolver said she’s happy with her building and her location even though business has been a struggle for local owners.

“We’re still here, and we’re hanging on,” she said. “You just have to be a forward thinker.”