TEAM REVITALIZATION Local artisans and craftsmen playing key role in downtown redevelopment BY BRUCE MILLS It was mostly a year of planning for some big things on the horizon on the downtown development scene, but one commercial “fixer-upper” showed the power of teamwork on display in revitalizing downtown Sumter. Local artisans Heather Tickel, Scott Carnelli, Lance and Tori Lesegne, and Frank Johnson might not be headline names when people think of the key players in Sumter’s downtown redevelopment, but their hands are literally all over the work, including last year’s addition of Baker’s Sweets. The popular bistro and bakery owned by Jennifer Baker added its second Sumter location and third overall in August on the corner of North Main Street and Law Range. 26 |
2022-20 2 3 L I F E I S G O O D IN S U M TER
WHAT’S IN THE WORKS FOR THIS YEAR? Jay Davis said he is still in the planning stage for some apartments and a condominium project for the downtown area. Also, two more commercial fixer-upper projects are planned to be announced in 2022, he added. Davis co-owns some downtown properties with private business owner Greg Thompson and his wife, Danielle. He credits the Thompson family and the City of Sumter for helping facilitate the downtown revitalization process. In the last decade, the Thompsons’ investments in downtown include La Piazza, Hamptons, Sidebar, the downtown Hyatt Place hotel and Sumter Original Brewery, among others.
*Photo: Left to right: Jay Davis, Tori Lesegne, Frank Johnson, Scott Carnelli, Lance Lesegne and Heather Tickel
