After more than a year of meetings and planning, the Douglas Design District is kicking off the first tangible sign of its work to promote Douglas from Washington to Oliver. Within the next two weeks, 50 new banners will adorn light poles along Douglas. "It's like, 'Hey, look, here we are,' " says Wendy Mayes, a vice president with the group who works at Kitchens by Design at 1824 E. Douglas. "We wanted to define the geographical space," Mayes says.
The banners will officially be unveiled July 26 at a public celebration that will also feature discounts at Douglas retailers. Next up, the group will work on new memberships and planning with the city to eventually get on the city's budget for future projects. In the meantime, Mayes says members are going to buy benches and plant trees and gardens along the street. Retailers will create their own gardens. "We want it to be eclectic," she says.