DES MOINES, Iowa — Business is booming in the Drake Neighborhood, despite the pandemic.
Thousands, and even millions of dollars have been spent on renovations.
Lucky Horse, a bar and grill, spent $700,000 in restoring a 133-year-old building and opened during the pandemic.
Merge Urban Development Group spent $63 million on projects between 24th and 25th Street.
“I think they’re investing in the neighborhood right now because it remains affordable, at the moment and is, probably, about to be the next big thing," explained Jason Stuyvesant, Vice President of the Drake Neighborhood Association.
Habanero's, another business that opened during the pandemic, said they spent $200,000 on renovations.
“We have to pay rent. We have to pay bills," staff member Rodolfo Sescasillas said. "So, we just decided to have the doors open and see what’s going to happen. We have to pay bills.”
Stuyvesant, who has lived in the area for seven years, believes nearby Drake University is attracting businesses and apartment renters.
"If anything, I think you would have seen more happen had we not had the pandemic," Stuyvesant said.