Patsy Humble’s love of organic food and multigrain chips became stronger after she left the teaching profession.

“I like specialty brands,” Humble said from inside Patsy’s Downtown Market, opened May 1 at 1205 Washington St., the first dedicated grocery to operate in the heart of downtown in decades.

Humble aims for niche-market shoppers. Selections include organic spinach, premium-brand sauces, sea salt potato chips, banana peppers, olives, chocolate-covered espresso beans and other boutique food.

The grocery’s selections might not resemble Fred’s Super Dollar farther south on Washington, but Humble’s confident the eclectic mix of offbeat brands, specialty beer and artwork for sale will reel in loyal shoppers.

“I think the health-food shoppers will like it and then pull in tourists and people who live downtown,” said Humble, who taught for about 20 years in north Louisiana.

Humble’s store, which will be open from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily after June 1, and El Rio Mexican Restaurant Grill and Cantina, at 1415 Washington St., are the heart of downtown’s newest arrivals.

Each is independently owned — the epitome of what an ideal downtown business scene should be, Vicksburg Main Street executive director Kim Hopkins said.

“Downtown is close-knit, and you don’t always find that anywhere,” Hopkins said, “They are mom-and-pops — but that’s really important because they know their people. Shopping local can make or break a downtown.”

Vacancies at 25 storefronts on Washington Street between Veto and Grove streets concern Hopkins, as do the costs to run businesses in the historic section. Some, such as the former Ware House entertainment complex and a trio of buildings at Crawford Street once eyed to house Main Street and the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau, have been empty for more than three years. Others, such as the space where El Rio opened, have been revolving doors for restaurants.

Humble’s store is the first dedicated grocery store to open in the half-mile section of Washington between Veto and Grove streets in generations. The area was improved after an urban renewal bond issue in 2001. Super Ten, a discount outlet, operated for 10 years at 1509 Washington St., once a Sears store, until it closed in February.

A two-person staff dependent on fundraisers can’t compete with large development companies that own malls, Hopkins said, but interest in downtown hasn’t waned even as vacancies have climbed. Hopkins said nine of the 25 empty buildings are being renovated.

“We don’t have the money to hire people to go out and recruit businesses,” she said, but pointed to $4,495 from concession stand sales at youth baseball tournaments last year as a plus. “We’re constantly looking for new investors.”

The Main Street district here initially was created in 1984 as one of the original six in Mississippi. In Vicksburg, it includes about 150 commercial properties on Washington, Cherry and Walnut streets. Commercial property owners in the district pay a special assessment along with city taxes, which are combined to promote downtown and events such as RiverFest and the Fall Festival.