When the stock market plummeted in 2008, downtown Washington took a hit, well, many hits. Blow by blow, businesses shut down and those who persevered took the brunt of it.

Now, in 2015, the downtown area, state and country are on the upturn, as small businesses are increasing, gas pricing dropping and overall economic attitudes improving. It’s far from completely mended, but it’s certainly a start.

Downtown offers an excellent illustration of the state of not just the local, but the national economy as well. Stores that were once empty, filled, and local business owners are no longer afraid to set up shot. In the next calendar year, a series of new businesses will challenge the norm of the last seven years and do what they need to do to survive. As a result, these shop owners will be setting a great example for other entrepreneurs to take a chance.

But to fully complete the process, it’s going to take more than a few risk takers. It’s time for many of the property owners and landlords to follow the lead of some and fix up buildings downtown for residential use. Some have already done so, but it’s going to take even more to attract residents to the area.

By property owners investing in their own establishments, the downtown setting will undoubtedly become more attractive to residents, especially considering the natural and picturesque backdrop of the waterfront already in place. And while the initial property investment may be daunting, once people begin moving in, they will spend. Where will they spend? Downtown, only bolstering the local economy.

The county should also benefit from the migration of residents to downtown by receiving increased revenue from sales taxes.

Aesthetically, tenants filling the upstairs of buildings containing first floor business will not only instill more of a sense of security to the residents, but also help preserve the, in some cases, century old structures. Once the apartments are fixed up, residents will be more prone to maintaining them.

If property owners can go out on a limb and make the investment, residents can follow the lead of local businesses by moving downtown and helping support the local economy — family, friends and neighbors.