Reviewed by: Lacey Muenstermann
Meet the Athens native leading downtown’s growth—Merchant’s Alley reno, Sippin’ Cider + more
Reading time: 5 minutes
If there’s one person that embodies the Athens spirit, it’s Tere Richardson.
If you’ve enjoyed watching Downtown Athens come to life over the past several years, it’s time you meet the woman paving the way alongside community volunteers and partners.
Keep reading to learn about Tere and the impact she’s made through Athens Main Street.
Meet Tere Richardson
Born and raised in Athens, Tere Richardson started her professional journey in education before leading an impressive career in business and tech consulting. After moving away briefly, Tere found her way back to her charming hometown where she served as president of Limestone County Churches Involved, the local food pantry.
In 2018, her servant’s heart started tugging her in a new direction—she saw potential for Athens to be more. More lively, more vibrant, more walkable, more welcoming.
When a position opened for the Executive Director of Athens Main Street, she applied, pivoting from business development to downtown revitalization.
“When I moved back to Athens, I was seeing the resurgence of all these small towns around the country. And I thought, ‘Athens could be that: a walkable place with historic buildings and fun, interesting things to do and great restaurants.’ And I wanted to help make that happen.
Athens was really in need of somebody that got up every day and thought about how to make downtown better. I talked to the board president of Athens Main Street at the time, and I felt like downtown was calling to me.”
Tere Richardson, Executive Director of Athens Main Street
Leading a team effort through Athens Main Street
Placemaking + community building
Swipe to see this before and after of Merchant’s Alley in Downtown Athens. (Athens Main Street + Hville Blast)
I remember being a senior in high school circa 2019 when Tere was new to her role. She sought the opinion of Athens’ younger residents, asking what we thought would bring our downtown area to life.
In a group brainstorm, we high schoolers bounced around dreams of more restaurants, more things to do, more art and turning abandoned alleys into functional spaces. Tere took notes, and now you can enjoy all of those things in downtown Athens (and more).
Since then, a blighted alley became Merchant’s Alley, making home for public art and live music events. Athens Main Street also championed outdoor dining and created a blue-cup entertainment district (like Huntsville), which has positively impacted restaurants and festival events.
Seeing the transformations years later is incredible, and Tere is thankful even more people can enjoy “The Square.”
“The single most satisfying thing about the successes of our organization has been seeing patrons of downtown from all over North Alabama enjoying what we’re doing including our events, renovated spaces and local businesses.”
Tere Richardson, Executive Director of Athens Main Street
Revitalizing downtown: by the numbers
Tere’s influence extends beyond colorful murals and fun events. Through her leadership, Athens Main Street has implemented countless projects like making downtown ADA-compliant with a new sidewalk system.
Check out the impact of Athens Main Street in 2024 alone:
- 2 recovery funds in response to December 2024 tornadoes
- 6 community events (Fridays After 5, Sippin’ Cider + more)
- 13 new businesses
- $800k in renovations to Farmers Market at Doug Gates Park
- $755k public investment
- $4.69 million private investment
- 1,063 volunteer hours
- 4,000 attendees at Fridays After Five
How it’s all possible
If you think Tere does it all alone, she’ll be quick to correct you.
Local partners invest in the future of Athens every year.
“We have a tremendous working relationship with public and private partners in our county that are instrumental in making this growth possible.
Nonprofits like ours rely on the city and the county to do what we do. And they rely on us too, for strategy and breathing life into the community. And that makes for a good partnership.”
Tere Richardson, Executive Director of Athens Main Street
Athens Main Street may look like a one-woman show, but the organization makes progress with its dedicated volunteer network.
“One of the great things about our community is the community involvement. The only way that we can make these things happen downtown is our army of volunteers.”
Tere Richardson, Executive Director of Athens Main Street
What’s next for Downtown Athens
Athens has come a long way in the last seven years, but there’s still more growth coming. Athens is in the fastest growing county in Alabama, and we asked Tere where she sees downtown headed.
“We do not have downtown living in the Main Street district. The next big hurdle is getting a concentrated group of individuals living downtown. That will then bring more businesses and more things to do later in the evenings because people are coming back here instead of going home.”
Tere Richardson, Executive Director of Athens Main Street
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