If you needed a reason to get out of the house on Monday, we found approximately 20 in downtown Natchez.

Labor Day is normally a quiet day on the streets of downtown Natchez, but this year, thanks to a special group of merchants, Natchez’s historic downtown was open for business — and ready for a few visitors, too.

Monday was the second big push by the Natchez Downtown Development Association to encourage its downtown business partners to stay open on holidays. Independence Day’s event was a big success for a number of merchants.

Hats off to the NDDA for working hard to get us all thinking about downtown Natchez in the right way.

Often, city residents tend to view downtown merchants as an added value for tourists and a sometimes more expensive alternative for locals.

The truth is both of those notions are misconceptions.

Downtown merchants actually offer good prices and they certainly have unique charm and shopping ambiance not felt anywhere else in our area.

And, downtown shopping is not just a convenience for tourists who may swing through a store to make a quick purchase before heading home.

Natchez’s downtown is quickly becoming a destination for shoppers, not an afterthought for tourists.

Thanks to the merchants and to the NDDA for helping bring our city’s downtown economy up another notch.