Event to showcase commercial properties in downtown Cape Girardeau

Residents will get the chance to tour a slew of commercial properties Thursday, April 27, in downtown Cape Girardeau as part of an event hosted by Old Town Cape.

The Downtown Commercial Property Open House will give those interested an opportunity to see buildings in the heart of Cape Girardeau that are available for sale or lease, according to an Old Town Cape news release. The event is from 5 to 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

The open house is put on by Old Town Cape's Economic Vitality Committee. One of the committee's main goals is to catalyze property development and provide existing and new businesses with financial tools to succeed, the release said.

"We are consistently identifying ways to evolve our role as a resource from assisting existing businesses, encouraging people to shop local downtown and with this event to give a platform for people interested in joining the downtown community to be able to do so," committee chair Blake Lingle said in the release. "I highly encourage anyone interested to come check out, not only available commercial properties, but also the amazing downtown we are fortunate to have."

More than a dozen properties will be part of the open house, including:

• The former Cape Girardeau City Hall at 401 Independence St.
• The River and Rails building at 101 William St.
• The Bar at 117 Themis St.
• Bella Italia at 20 N. Spanish St.

There will also be several properties along Broadway and Main Street.

Attendees can tour the properties in any order they like, and maps of the places included in the open house will be available at each stop.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/events/431608849152284.