A Shorter Walk to Everything!
Jen DeLessio
Executive Director
Main Street Madison
This month I am excited to feature Shorter Street in downtown Madison. The Main Street Madison organization is dedicated to all things downtown - historic preservation, supporting our local businesses, bringing the community together, and the look and feel of the downtown. But we are not just Main Street! “Main Street” is an approach that has been used successfully for over 40 years to improve and maintain the health of historic downtowns. Main Street Madison is proud to include not just historic Main Street in Madison, but also Wise, Bradley, Short, and portions of Church, Martin, Garner, and Shorter Street. 
Main Street Madison District
Short Street connects historic downtown Madison to the newer walkable development on Shorter Street that has been growing since 2021 (and we are so excited to find out what additions our community wants to see here!) Shorter Street is a friendly, walkable experience. For those that live at the Avenue Madison Lofts, you can walk across the street to Honest Coffee, down to Burn Boot Camp, and to Home Place Park. And here’s a detail I’m hoping that you will walk away with from this article (literally): whether you’re on Main Street and want to stop at Honest for a coffee, or live at the Avenue and want to have lunch at Main Street Cafe, it’s a quick 5-minute walk down Short Street.
The Avenue Madison Lofts opened in 2021. There are 190 lofts and over 300 residents, with a mixture of one-, two-, and three-bedroom lofts. The manager, Andrea Calloway, was kind enough to give me a tour of the Avenue recently. The lofts are very open and bright, and they all come with a washer and dryer. What’s really unique is that on a rainy day you can still get your steps in! The Avenue is a full 360 degrees around the courtyard, so on each floor you can do a lap around the courtyard. The common spaces, including the pool area, are gorgeous, and it truly feels like a luxury vacation. Other fun facts: they are pet-friendly and even have a Pet Spa where you can bathe and groom your dog, complete with a professional-grade dryer. As an owner of a Goldendoodle, I would absolutely love to have access to this! Each month they have an event for their residents. For example, they recently had a movie night by the pool, with free food and drinks provided by The Avenue.
There are so many details that make the Avenue unique, and - much like all of downtown Madison - it’s local! The Owners and Regional Managers are here, so they actually know Madison. They understand our school system and what local families look for, and they appreciate the historic charm of downtown. They designed the buildings to beautifully blend into the downtown Madison area without making you feel like you are in a completely different city.
See below for some of the photos I took during my tour:
And now onto Honest Coffee! Given that my office is on Short Street, my most recent visit certainly was not my first or last! Honest Coffee in Huntsville opened in 2017, and the Madison location opened in 2022. The Madison location captures that same cozy, friendly atmosphere that was first brought to the Huntsville location. It’s a place where they are proud to hang your flyer promoting a community event. And if you have ever visited, you have likely observed a community-collaboration latte or special drink. This is one of my most favorite things about Honest Coffee. A few months back I asked the owner, Christy Wimberly, if Honest Coffee benefits from these collaborations. She explained that the sole reason they do it is to support and partner with the community. So whether it’s a protein latte for Burn Boot Camp lovers or a fun, summery drink for one of the local Mom groups, they love these types of community collaborations.
Andrew Loudin, Manager in Madison, has been with Honest for nine years. Andrew embodies the special sense of community that Christy created with Honest Coffee. He loves the relationships he’s formed with regular customers and makes anyone coming in for the first time feel right at home. This warm sense of community extends throughout all of their staff - which, according to Christy, is a huge testament to Andrew’s management of Honest Coffee in Madison. The coffees and lattes are phenomenal, and they serve excellent food as well. Also see below for a photo of a Strawberry Shortcake latte turned into a kid-friendly treat. They have something delicious for everyone.
Grace Young // Social Grace Company
Joshua Berry // Everlong Photography
Just a few doors down from Honest Coffee (next to Home Place Park) is Burn Boot Camp Central Madison. Burn Boot Camp is super unique because you can have the motivational benefit of a group workout setting that is also adaptable to your own level and pace. I personally haven’t worked out in such a fun environment before. The music is fun, the people are encouraging, and you never get the same workout twice. All of the instructors are also Certified Personal Trainers, and they meet with you as frequently as you need to set and track your goals. And not to downplay the Madison community in any way, but in my experience, Burn Boot Camp is excellent everywhere! After starting my membership, I traveled and visited Burn locations in New York and North Carolina - both were so fun and welcoming, and I made friends in both locations.
Jamie Lambert, owner of Burn Boot Camp, wants to make sure people know about the complimentary child watch also! There’s even a large window to the children’s room so you can really have that peace of mind that your kiddos are safe and cared for while you take some time for yourself. Jamie is also passionate about supporting important causes in the community, such as Kids to Love. We are so thankful to have Burn in our district!
And lastly a few updates from Main Street Madison -
And lastly, a few updates from Main Street Madison: Thank you to the community for providing your feedback via our Consumer Survey! Stay tuned - in August we will have an open house for the community to hear the survey results, along with concepts and strategies for the downtown!
Our first Third Thursdays on Main was on June 18th - thanks to our vendors, downtown businesses, and to the community for coming out! We are crossing our fingers for some gorgeous weather for our upcoming dates (July 16th and August 20th). We are also thinking about how we can improve the event for the upcoming dates. Thank you to Christie Clark and Captured by Christie for beautifully capturing this and so many special events in our community!
Christie Clark // Captured by Christie
We want to give a huge thank you to Madison Hospital for being our presenting sponsor. Because of their generosity, we’re able to bring the community together for events like this. Thank you, Madison Hospital, for everything you do for our city! And we are proud and thankful to announce our exclusive music sponsor for Third Thursdays: Freedom Real Estate & Capital. Thank you for not just driving growth and investment in our community, but for also supporting local organizations and events that celebrate our local musicians, artists, artisans, and business owners.
If you love our community and want to get involved, we would love to have you join the Main Street Madison crew! We work together to support our local small businesses from behind the scenes, and play a direct role in making downtown Madison a fun place to be. We have opportunities available for the upcoming Third Thursdays on Main series, as well as events throughout the year. If you are interested in volunteering for even just a couple of hours, please either fill out our website form or contact me directly to find a role that fits your schedule and interests.
Get Involved – Main Street Madison
If you haven’t visited Main Street Madison before, or if it’s been a while, please come see us this summer! Downtown events are meant to bring our community together while supporting our small businesses. We can’t accomplish either of these things without you.