downtowns Explore Central Valley Summer 2009 Kids act up, page 11 Things to do downtown, pages 6- 9 Meet the Merchants, pages 4, 5, and 10 Inside:

Among retail consul­tants there is a pop­ular saying: " People go to malls to buy, but they go to downtowns to shop." If the latter is you, there are many new businesses joining the already very popular Downtown Visalia scene. New businesses Opening at 114 E. Main Street is Chelsea Street. This is our sixth boutique, and it joins seven wedding and prom gown stores, three men's apparel and tuxedo shops and eight custom jewelers. Our third bakery, The Frosted Muffin, is open­ing at 108 S. Church St. Two new restaurants join the lineup: Avo, at 229 E. Main St. next to the Garden Plaza, will serve Nuevo South American cuisine, and The Lunch Box, 112 N. Court St., will offer foods created from inspired recipes. Both add to our well- established, 51 palate- pleasing restaurants. And, oh yes, the already popular The Cellar Door on the corner of Court and Main Streets is now serving lunch. Billy Ray's, a jazz club, 209 E. Main St., will make its long- awaited debut as our seventh nightclub. All these new businesses are slated to open this summer. The Downtown Alliance is moving in mid- June from 104 S. Church St. ( which has already been leased to a billing company) to 103 N. Court St. ( Mailing Address: 110 W. Main Street, Suite D) behind Starbuck's Coffee and next to Salon 5th Avenue. It will offer a third downtown location for visitor information. The new facility is twice as large and includes six offices, a conference center seating 20- plus and storage. Special thanks to architect Michael Kreps for the interior plans and design work he donated to the association. It will house Downtown Visalians, the Property & Business Improvement District ( PBID) and the newly formed public charity Downtown Visalia Foundation. Visitors currently can obtain information from the Visalia Chamber of Commerce at the corner of Santa Fe Street and Oak Avenue. The city of Visalia has received final funding to construct its new three- story Sequoia Regional Visitors Center, which will also house the National Parks Service. It will be located between the Visalia Convention Center and Visalia Marriott Hotel. Velouria Records is moving to 109 E. Main St., where it will share space with the Sound N' Vision Foundation, which will offer free music lessons for children. Velouria's old space at 229 E. Main St. will be occupied by Chavez Bal­loons, which is considering expanding its services to offer floral arrangements along with its already pop­ular balloon bouquets and party- rental supplies. Support for the arts With the formation of Sound N Vision and the Downtown Visalia Foun­dation, two new public charities now support the arts. Interestingly enough, although they didn't talk to each other before form­ing, they have different goals and are going to support the organizations already in existence and not compete with them or each other. In fact, they are going to collaborate. While Sound N Vision's current focus is on instru­choices in dining choseci. com ?? Over 700 Tulare County restaurants ?? Search by zip code and type of cuisine ?? Interactive forums ?? Read & write reviews ?? Use the mapping function to fi nd outhow to get thereMore choices in dining onlinethan we could ever put in print! just got easier! Explore Central Valley Downtowns is a quarterly publication focused exclusively on southern San Joaquin Valley area downtowns. Advertising Executive Hannah McDonald ( 559) 735- 3238 hannah@ visalia. gannett. com Publisher and president Amy Pack S enior Editor Melinda Morales designer Cathy Carmode Lim stories and photos ( except where noted) Laura Brown N ext publication dates: Sept. 11, 2009 O n the cover Inline skaters enjoy downtown Visalia on April 15, 2008, as part of the Skate Against Violence Roadskate. Photo by Johanna Coyne downtowns Explore Central Valley 2 downtowns Explore Central Valley June 12, 2009 Kelly Hauert Downtown Visalians Kelly is the chief executive officer of the Downtown Visalians and Alliance. Of businesses, arts, used money and getting out of Visalia See Arts, 4 T - N- T BeautyNew Location!!! Still offering fi ne quality Wigs and HairpiecesCome in for a free consultation for hair extensions and braiding services. Now offering the new No Sew, No Glue Micro Technique Extensions! 125 S. K Street . 559- 684- 8868Ask about our wig specials0000131513Ballet . Pointe Jazz . Tap . HipHopLyrical . ModernPre- School0000131522114 E. Oak St. . Visalia 559.627.8277www. sierraperformingartscenter. com" Dance for All Times" Saturday, June 207: 30 @ LJ Williams Theater" Pinocchio" Sunday, June 217: 30 @ LJ Williams Theater ~ Summer Intensive Workshop ~ July 28 thru August 7