What's Up Downtown Summer 2026
ALTON - Community members gathered for the quarterly “What’s Up Downtown” meeting to hear updates from local entrepreneurs and business owners about their work.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
On Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, Alton Main Street hosted the quarterly gathering at The Wedge in Alton. Downtown professionals shared information about their businesses and their goals for the future.
Julia Steele with Alton Pride encouraged people to join the fifth annual Pride Festival on Sept. 12, 2026, on Belle Street. Steele noted that businesses and organizations can reserve booth space, and the organization is still looking for volunteers and donations. She added that the Pride Festival is a big part of their work, but the team works year-round to support the local LGBTQ+ community.
“I’m the president-elect for Alton Pride, and I’m looking forward to getting right in there and getting to work to make Alton the best community that we possibly can,” Steele said. “We have the Alton Pride Festival coming up on Sept. 12. We are super excited about it. It’s going to be our best ever.”
Scot Heathman, CEO of The Wedge, welcomed attendees to the building. He shared that the numbers have “radically changed” in the past few months as new members and customers join The Wedge. He added that the building’s sense of community is strengthening, and he encouraged people to come out, try The Wedge’s coworking space, and check out their upcoming programming.
“I don’t want just your logo on the wall. I want your relationship,” Heathman said. “We’re going to keep continuing to do what we’re doing, and more is going to be here in the future.”
Jeff Lewis spoke about “Herbert West: Reanimator,” a movie that was filmed in Alton. Filming wrapped last week, and Lewis thanked the community for welcoming him and his production team to the city. He noted that several local spots were used as filming locations, including Post Commons, Third Street, The Wedge, and The Bridge Church.
“We tried to really utilize a lot of places, and John [Simmons] gave us access to a lot of great places around town,” Lewis said. “We were just real happy that we could get this done, and we look forward to you all seeing it. We’ll get this thing going. We’ll probably do a little premiere here late this year. We’ll look forward to seeing you all there.”
Vickie Hopkins is the owner of Party on Broadway, a painting business that will be moving to Lucas Row at 605 East Broadway. In addition to the painting parties and workshops hosted there, Party on Broadway will have a retail shop dedicated to Alton products.
“We’re getting ready to reinvent Party on Broadway in our new space. The new space is going to be a little different, more intentional,” Hopkins said. “We are still putting the ‘art’ in ‘party.’”
Gary Voyles with Country Meadows Antiques shared that the business is celebrating its 40th anniversary on Oct. 3, 2026. He invited the community to come out, shop, and enjoy the business’s offerings. He added that his wife, Pam, is “in control” and oversees the business while he manages the day-to-day work.
“Pam can’t get out and do things, but believe me, she’s in control,” he laughed. “She sends diagrams and things, and me and another gentleman will go down in the evening, move the shop around, do it the way she wants, and then she can see us on the cameras.”
Michelle Griffin, founder of UtterHubz Business Operations Services, explained that her business helps other people navigate entrepreneurship. She uses artificial intelligence to streamline her work, and she is teaching others how to do the same.
“I created a complete center for business operation services because I love helping individuals start businesses,” she said. “My focus is on AI. There’s so much buzz around it right now. Most people, when they hear AI, they think about robots taking over the world and their jobs. But that’s actually not true. The more I work with it, the more I see just how without the human brain and oversight, it cannot work to its best potential.”
Joel Ron, co-founder of Quantum AI Trust, also spoke about how he used AI to revitalize his coffee shop in Granite City. He has moved his Quantum AI Trust business to The Wedge and wants to help people utilize AI to ask better questions and understand what they need for their business to be successful.
“I was using AI, but I just wasn’t asking the right questions,” he explained. “We would all talk about AI. AI is the buzzword. The unlock wasn’t AI by itself. It was AI plus better questions, and that’s where leverage showed up in my life.”
Alton Main Street hosts “What’s Up Downtown” once every quarter in downtown Alton. For more information about the organization’s work, visit their official website.
More like this:
