A long-sputtering movement to revitalize downtown Tooele finally got rolling in a big way this year as several major retailers and smaller local businesses moved back into a business district that was largely lifeless only a few years ago.

Downtown was once a vibrant shopping community. Angled parking and easy walking distances from nearby neighborhoods made it accessible to pedestrians and motorists. As the years went by, however, angled parking was removed. Then, in 1990, Wal-Mart opened on the north end of town where C-A-L Ranch is now located.

“The first wave of businesses fleeing the downtown area came when Tooele’s first Wal-Mart opened,” said Dave Bickmore, former owner of Dave’s Drug. “When a town gets big enough to draw in big-boxers, the small businesses struggle and a lot of businesses want to go toward the big-box areas.”

The trend of businesses and shoppers moving northward has continued for almost two decades since, while downtown became an area of boarded-up buildings, empty lots, and obsolete shops.

That trend changed visibly this year, however, largely due to the economic development efforts of city officials.

In April, a development group called Team Retail Tooele, representing Big 5 Sporting Goods, announced plans to build a new retail building north of Walgreen’s on an empty lot. The proposed building included two retail centers — one with 11,000 square feet for Big 5 and another 7,000-square-foot store for an unnamed tenant.

In June, Brian Thomas, a Salt Lake City businessman, announced his intent to put a Sears Authorized Dealer store next door to the Big 5 store.

The same month, Gold’s Gym announced it would remodel the old Albertson’s store on Main Street into a gym.

“This [revitalization] is the result of a concerted effort we have worked on for years,” said Tooele City Mayor Patrick Dunlavy. “It has taken a while for the fruits of our labors to work out but it has been worth the wait.”

The downtown boomlet continued in the fall when three local businesses relocated or opened up in the area.

Liddiard’s Home Furnishings opened the Budget and Clearance Center in the old Al and Lid’s Furniture and Appliance Store near 100 South in September 2008. Allen’s Floor coverings moved from the Utah Industrial Depot to 24 North Main. And Grandma’s Closet — specializing in handcrafted items from local Tooele County artists — opened up at 18 North Main.

Becky Bracken, owner of Grandma’s Closet, was attracted to the downtown area by its atmosphere.

“We could have rented a brand new building in a strip mall, but that just seems so boring when you could be in the old, historic downtown,” she said in September when she opened her shop. “I love downtown and all of its atmosphere, and I remember growing up in a small town and looking through the windows of businesses on Main Street. It’s too bad that atmosphere has gone away from Tooele’s Main Street, but we’re hoping to bring it back.”

A new fine-dining restaurant called Sostanza is also scheduled to open on Main Street sometime in 2009 in the space formerly occupied by Melina’s restaurant.

For Dunlavy, the renewed interest in downtown is a campaign promise kept.

“We started working on revitalizing downtown right after I was first elected mayor in 2005,” Dunlavy said. “We developed a plan to bring people and businesses back into downtown.”

The first part of the plan, according to Dunlavy, was to bring people back into the downtown area.

“We accomplished this by working with the Downtown Alliance to conduct activities like Friday on Vine and the Halloween trick or treat event,” Dunlavy said.

Then the city identified prospective new businesses and went on an aggressive recruiting drive, Dunlavy said.

Lead by Dunlavy, the city’s economic development team of Economic Development Director Randy Sant and Administrative Assistant Michelle Pitt spent three days at the International Shopping Center Convention in Las Vegas in 2006 and 2007 making contacts with major retailers. One of those was Big 5.

Following up on that contact, Pitt was able to convince a representative of Big 5 to visit Tooele. The result of that visit is the company’s new store that opened in September.

“We’re not done,” said Dunlavy. “The success we have had is bringing more interest in the downtown area.”

Tim Gillie: tgillie@tooeletranscript.com