The Ugly Mugg Coffee and Ice Cream Café officially opened on February 25, 2020. This new addition to Downtown Louisville is located at 221 North Court Street and is open Monday-Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The café offers specialty coffees, both hot and cold, freshly made smoothies, hand dipped ice creams and shakes in a variety of flavors, and assorted flavored teas. Their food menu includes breakfast pastries and grab-n-go lunch items. Follow the Ugly Mugg Café on Instagram @uglymuggms and Facebook @uglymuggcoffeeandicecreamcafe!

The Mississippi Main Street Directors’ Retreat was held on February 27th and 28th in Louisville, MS. Directors from across the state were in attendance for this event to network and share progress from each of their Main Street programs. The retreat kicked off on Thursday morning with welcomes, announcements, and roundtable discussions. Later that evening, guests participated in a shopping tournament in downtown Louisville where they received door prizes and watched pottery demonstrations courtesy of Good Earth Pottery. Louisville/Noxapater Main Street Director Amy Hillyer hosted the Main Street Reception at the newly established Mason Hotel Boutique in the Grand Ballroom. Everyone gathered for the announcement of shopping tournament winners, hors d’oeuvres, and live music by Mark and Fernando. Thursday night concluded with dinner catered by Market Café and a social gathering at Lake Tiak O’Khata’s Bar and Fire Pit. On Friday morning, directors had a chance to fill out the 2020 Directors’ Survey and discuss future MMSA opportunities.

The ARC EMpower Job Fair was held on Thursday, January 23, 2020 at the Louisville Community Safe Room. This event was a collaborative effort with Winston Partnership, the Governor’s Job Fair Network of Mississippi, MDES, WIN Job Center, the Enterprise of Mississippi, the Appalachian Regional Commission, and Kemper County Economic Development Authority. Numerous companies throughout the state were in attendance advertising open positions and offering on-hand applications. Many local companies such as Taylor Machine Works and Winston Plywood & Veneer were in search of qualified candidates ranging from high school vocational students to trained professionals. There were over 300 job seekers and 30 companies were in attendance.