This story appears in the April 2026 issue of Utah Business. Subscribe.
Welcome to the new downtown. In a world where Amazon delivers same-day packages to our doors, and Costco and Sam’s Club stock the universe in stacks of pallets, the most vibrant downtown hubs in Utah have reinvented themselves. Small-business owners aren’t just stocking shelves with merchandise — they are collaborating to design experiences and create community gathering spaces.
In this five-part series, we’ll explore how Ogden, Salt Lake City, Provo, St. George and Logan create wander and wonder in downtown neighborhood hubs. Let’s visit St. George.
Town Square, St. George
Drive south on Interstate 15, take the last exit before crossing the Arizona state line and you’ll see a small city emerging out of the desert. Desert Color is a 3,400-acre master-planned community that will see 11,000 new homes in the next two decades with a potential population of 30,000 to 40,000 people.
The big national players have taken notice. Earlier this year, Costco opened a 40-pump gas station here, 15 minutes southwest of downtown St. George, and in March, it opened a 154,000-square-foot warehouse store, 6,000 square feet more than the existing Costco off I-15 on the northeast side of St. George.
Washington County has been one of the fastest-growing counties in the U.S., and Chad Thomas, economic development director of St. George, says the city has to think about both downtown and how to support the city’s expansion outward. Revenue from national chains like Costco helps keep St. George property tax among the lowest in Utah and helps the city meet the demand for infrastructure that accompanies growth.
I-15 whisks travelers through St. George, and St. George Boulevard and Bluff Street are built to keep traffic flowing to rapidly expanding suburban areas and resort communities. Getting drivers to stop downtown is the challenge.
“Bringing people downtown means giving people a reason to get out of their cars,” Thomas says. “And in today’s age, it’s getting someone off their phone and really experiencing the world. And that’s where downtowns can compete with anybody. It’s the experience: Let’s go for a walk, let’s stop, let’s explore.”
Chris Connors, the founder of Bonrue Bakery and FS Coffee, both just off the Town Square that is the heart of downtown, moved to St. George from Las Vegas, where he owned a fast-casual taco restaurant. He, his wife, their two boys and their dog Kershaw stayed in a two-bedroom in the downtown Joule Plaza Apartments as he started his first bakery (called Farmstead, at the time), and two years later, they built a home downtown as he adds new Bonrue locations with investment from the Lehi-based Savory Fund.
“He took a chance on St. George,” Thomas says. “St. George had a lot of things he was looking for. It’s a tourism-based economy. It is a family-friendly environment. And he’s turned a small, sole-proprietor bakery into an expanding business.”
The City of St. George just opened its gleaming new $51.5 million City Hall in January across the street from Town Square Park, which is home to the St. George Children’s Museum, a carousel and a sculpture garden.
Like other cities, St. George uses downtown events to create community. The St. George Marathon finish line deposits runners and their families downtown, and the St. George Arts Festival celebrates regional artists on the streets near Town Square every April.
“We’re trying to keep events here in downtown,” Thomas says. “You can put them somewhere else; we are in a suburban market, so if you’re just looking to park people, there may be other facilities that can handle that more easily. But you’re trying to slow down traffic and create a reason for people to come downtown.”
St. George faces two distinct challenges. One is that, while it has an active Chamber of Commerce, St. George doesn’t have the downtown alliance of small business owners that other cities have. A second is that its identity as a gateway to outdoor recreation ⎯ Zion and Bryce national parks, 14 golf courses and red dirt trails ideal for all-terrain vehicles ⎯ makes downtown more of an outing than a destination.
“When you look at some of the secret sauces to economic development, there’s the hub and spoke theory,” Thomas says. “You need a reason to visit, and that’s your hub. You’re planning a trip to southern Utah and you want to see Zion, that’s your hub. But you need spokes, as well. … We’re not trying to recreate what Provo is doing, and there’s no way we can do what Salt Lake is going with arts and entertainment. But outdoor recreation, that’s where we can excel.”