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Local Good News: Mississippi’s ‘Gateway City’ Seeing New Growth

Corinth is often referred to as Mississippi’s Gateway City due in part to its location in the Northeast corner of the state. Parks and museums s...
Local Good News: Mississippi’s ‘Gateway City’ Seeing New Growth

Corinth is often referred to as Mississippi’s Gateway City due in part to its location in the Northeast corner of the state. Parks and museums showcase the city as a military learning ground, houses American-Indian artifacts and spotlights aviation. And now, some of that history is being showcased downtown in an eatery. 

It’s all thanks to the former Assistant Secretary of Education under the George H.W. Bush administration. It’s local good news.

Enter the Magnolia State’s Gateway City.

“I grew up here in the 60’s,” said BGR Group’s CEO Lanny Griffith.

The famous crossroads, the Memphis and Charleston and the Mobile and Ohio railroads that gave Corinth significance, still exist.

Cross the tracks into downtown Corinth like we did on a recent snowy day, and you’ll find new businesses formed to save history.  Take for instance Vacari, an Italian eatery.

“It was challenging,” said Griffith.

Vacari was originally a cotton exchange built in the 1950’s. Even before that, the building’s history went back to the 19th century.  

Inside, a stairway welcomes visitors that takes them to the original brick facade of the building from the 1880’s. 

“When you walk through the front door, the first thing you want to do is look up,” said Griffith. “We were able to restore almost exactly the way it looked originally.”

Right across the street, Cross City Properties also restored other buildings turning them into apartments in the heart of downtown and making the area a mixed-use property. And with that restoration, Lanny Griffith, says jobs were created.

“You hire people.  You stimulate the economy,” said Griffith.

It’s local good news.

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