Sherman and Denison downtowns add small businesses, but records leave the cause open

Sherman's official downtown page reports dozens of small businesses added over the past few years, and Main Street America lists 164 net new businesses among Denison's program accomplishments. The two downtowns offer a nearby comparison for Gainesville, which runs its own programs to repair storefronts and keep shops open into the evening.

The figures are not interchangeable. Sherman's downtown page gives no reporting period and does not count closures. The 164 figure comes from Main Street America's 2025 award profile and is a cumulative program total with no stated time span, so it does not show a yearly pace. Neither record supplies a citywide growth rate.

The records say less about what is drawing the businesses. In an April 23, 2026, agenda packet, Denison staff put attendance at the recent St. Patrick's Day Pub Crawl and Shamrock Stroll at about 5,000. Staff relayed feedback that some businesses had their best sales day in years. That is a report of what merchants told the city, not an audited count of district sales.

The Denison Development Alliance names housing construction and the expansion of Texoma Medical Center as drivers of demand for retail, restaurant and professional office space. Denison's February 22, 2024, agenda packet reported 2.6 million downtown visits during 2023 and 87% occupancy. Those numbers count visits and filled space; they do not show that foot traffic rose or that it caused any opening.

Sherman has money planned for its downtown. The city's fiscal 2026–2030 capital plan schedules $1 million a year for downtown master-plan work from fiscal 2027 through 2030, about $4 million in all. The city proposes certificates of obligation as the financing. Listed projects include rebuilding parking on Laurel Street, wayfinding, a historic Texas Theatre sign and design of an Elm Street pedestrian path.

Gainesville's facade program reimburses qualifying central commercial district projects for up to 50% of costs, capped at $25,000. Facade-area calculations and prior approval apply, and interior remodeling is excluded. The city's Downtown Destination Creation Loan-to-Grant Program offers qualifying projects up to $100,000 and gives priority to businesses open until at least 8 p.m. two nights a week. Its stated purposes include drawing customers from outside Gainesville and extending downtown hours.

Both Grayson County downtowns have long Main Street histories. Denison began a self-initiated effort in 1988 and became an official Main Street city in 1989, according to DowntownTX. Sherman reestablished its program in 2016 after a hiatus. The Texas Historical Commission reports that participating Main Street communities have added more than 12,000 small businesses statewide since the state program began.

Construction has cost some merchants. Denison's February 27, 2025, agenda packet records downtown owners' concerns about marketing, signage and lighting around temporary fencing and rear alleys during the second streetscape phase. Sherman's incentives page lists its Downtown Building Improvement Grant as temporarily suspended effective May 1, 2026.