The My Heart’s Downtown campaign has been in the news recently, and while I am grateful to see attention focused on our city center, I want to clarify how this effort began. It was not created by a single organization or person. It came from a small group of individuals who care deeply about downtown Springfield and who, after many conversations, decided to stop talking about what was missing and start building what was possible: Business owners. Nonprofit leaders. Community advocates. People who walk these sidewalks every day and feel both the strain and the promise that has settled over our downtown since the pandemic.
We have all watched the changes. Offices shifted to remote work. Foot traffic declined. Empty storefronts began shaping perception. If we are not careful, perception becomes the narrative. But those of us who are here every day know downtown is not defined by empty spaces or the hard seasons. It is defined by the people who continue to invest in it.
Downtown is not just a business district; it is a neighborhood. It is where memories are preserved and where conversations that begin on a sidewalk turn into collaboration and new ideas.
My Heart’s Downtown grew from that understanding. A group of us, from different professional backgrounds and organizations, sat at the same table with a shared goal: improve the perception of downtown by uplifting the good that already exists and inviting more people into it. No one person or group controls the campaign. It is intentionally community oriented because downtown belongs to the community.
It’s important to recognize the people who have quietly done the work behind this movement. Leah Wilson, Elisa Fox, Cainan Barnett, Jay Shanle and Scott Troehler each brought something different to the table, but all shared the same belief that downtown Springfield is worth the effort. This is what gives My Heart’s Downtown its strength.
What moves me most about how this came together is the spirit behind it. We recognized that downtown is about people, about connection, about community, about feeling like you belong somewhere. And if we want that feeling to be strong again, we cannot wait for someone else to create it. We had to step into it ourselves. So, we did.
Grassroots efforts carry a different kind of energy because they are relational, neighbor to neighbor. They are built on shared belief rather than hierarchy. When people volunteer their time and ideas to something larger than themselves, it creates a tone others want to be part of. Downtown Springfield does not need more division; it needs alignment. It needs business owners, nonprofits, city leaders, organizations and residents moving in the same direction, even if we arrived from different places.
The recent coverage hopefully brings attention to the initiative – that is the first step. Attention sparks curiosity, and curiosity brings people downtown. And when people experience it for themselves, they reconnect with why it matters.
This initiative is not about credit. It is about connection to experiences, to small businesses, to history and to each other. When someone stands on the plaza, takes a photo at the heart sculpture, walks to dinner, attends a show or lingers a little longer than planned, pride begins to grow and positive momentum builds.
Downtown will become what we choose to make it. If we want it to feel vibrant, welcoming and full of life again, that responsibility belongs to all of us. And when people choose to show up together, good things happen.
Karen Conn is the co-owner of Conn’s Hospitality Group, which owns and operates multiple businesses based in historic properties in central Illinois. She has long been active in efforts to revitalize downtown Springfield and received the Wally Henderson Lifetime Achievement Award at the Downtown Springfield, Inc. annual gala held last month.
This article appears in April 2-8, 2026.
