BY jack criss
DBJ Executive Editor

Situated in the rolling hills of  North Mississippi, 75 miles southeast of Memphis and 160 miles north of Jackson, the town of Oxford is fast becoming one of the jewels of the state. Home to the University of Mississippi (now billing itself as "Ole Miss at Oxford"), William Faulkner's home, Rowan Oak, the only Center for the Study of Southern Culture, the Blues Archives, and some of the finest restaurants and trendy shops and boutiques in Mississippi, Oxford was recently named by USA Today as "a thriving New South Arts Mecca..."
And indeed, Oxford is thriving. By no means, however, are the citizens and businesses of Oxford content to revel in the past and survive only on tourist dollars and University revenues. On the contrary, Oxford is currently witnessing tremendous economic growth. So much so, in fact, that controversies and tensions are arising as a result of this boon. While not at a boiling point, these tensions do reflect a town in transition and one that is experiencing economic growing pains. As many business leaders in Oxford happily point out, however, if you're going to have a problem, too much business is the one to have.
"I think there is a conscious effort among those who live here in Oxford to continue to foster economic growth, but a controlled growth, one that would be friendly to business interests yet also committed to preserving what we have." So says Andy Phillips, a shareholder with the law firm Mitchell, McNutt, Threadgill, Smith & Sams. A native of Oxford, and with his firm since 1991,  Phillips says Mitchell, McNutt, et al, handles primarily bankruptcy work from the creditor's side and corporate litigation.
Opening their Oxford doors in 1992, Phillips says Mitchell, McNutt, et al, saw a niche ready to be filled in the business community. "The firm recognized  a growing, vibrant community here in Oxford," Phillips says, "and as this town continues to expand, its need for competent legal counsel continues to grow correspondingly."
Speaking about his hometown's burgeoning business community, Phillips says, "Obviously it's an ongoing balancing act to keep our momentum going while trying to hang on to what makes us special. But our business and city leaders have, so far, worked together extremely well to keep this balance."
As Oxford's top leader, Mayor Patricia Lamar says that no one is more committed to maintaining the equilibrium between development and tradition than she. "Anyone who knows me also knows how I feel about the historical richness of Oxford," says Lamar, a resident since 1972. "At the same time, I know that we live in America, and government does not have the authority to tell a business it can or cannot locate in a community. We have to learn how to manage the growth resulting from all of the business coming in here, and so far we've done a good job in doing so."
Mayor Lamar says that her administration is very pro-growth and that it has the track record to prove it. "When I became mayor in 1997,  my staff and I inherited several outdated laws on our books that were detrimental to business and to our city," she says. "For instance, we had never addressed stormwater retention,  landscaping protocol, and other 'hot button' growth items. We now do address such issues, and will continue to do so as they come up. Oxford, just like any other town, cannot afford to stop growing. We will protect our small-town charm, but we will also continue to attract more businesses and industries that will bring employment opportunities for our students and retirees, for example."
The mayor admits, however, that Oxford would not be where it is today were it not for the presence of the University of Mississippi. "We have a wonderful relationship with the University, and things have never been better for them," Mayor Lamar says. This spills over into the community, naturally. Dr. Robert Khayat and his staff have been extremely helpful to us."
Cal Mayo, of Mayo, Mallette, PLLC, Attorneys at Law, believes that the "tension" that exists between traditionalists and progressives may eventually present the workable solution itself to the "problem" of rapid growth.
"I think a happy medium can be found, especially if our landmarks remain unblemished and our economic growth supports our culture here," Mayo says. "Oxford has a wonderful history and a unique spirit in its community, with an openness and willingness to try new things. Part of the willingness involves the many projects going on in our business community, such as the phenomenal retail growth, especially on West Jackson Avenue, and the development of subdivisions both within the city limits and outside. We certainly don't want to lose this momentum, but we also want to protect the Square, and our other landmarks that we natives grew up with."
Mayo Mallette is a full-service civil practice that has operated in Oxford for over four years. "I initially started out working at Ole Miss in early 1996 as the assistant general counsel there," Mayo tells us. "Eventually I opened a private practice in July of 1997.
"Our firm primarily does civil work for small businesses here in the Oxford area," Mayo says. "We can direct and negotiate contracts and do a large amount of trial work in the corporate litigation field." Additionally, Mayo says his firm is heavily into immigration law. "This issue is becoming increasingly vital and important due to the many immigrants coming into the state," Mayo explains. "It is becoming a specialty for our firm, and because of this, much of our business is from out of state clients who need help with this issue."
Mayo echoes the opinion of many other Oxford business leaders when he speaks of the wonderful cultural and educational climate of his town. "The schools here are simply outstanding, and the efforts put forth to continually improve our educational system is astounding. We're blessed here with two exceptional public school systems. I have three small children, and one reason my wife and I returned to Oxford was for that reason."
Other law firms in Oxford report the surge in technological companies coming into, and forming, in town (see accompanying articles). There's a reason for this, says Dr. John Holleman, Director of MBA Administration at Ole Miss. "E-commerce represents the real potential for growth here in Oxford, not bricks-and-mortar," he states enthusiastically. "We have the potential to be a major e-commerce center based on the intellectual capital we have here, not only on campus, but throughout the community." Holleman notes that Ole Miss was recently ranked 36th "Most Wired" campuses in America, according to a Yahoo! poll. He says that the business school alone has 2,000 modem ports in the building.
Stephan McDavid, of McDavid and Associates, another leading law firm in Oxford, has found that, because of the strong technological presence in town, much of his firm's work comes from computer and intellectual property-related companies.
"The majority of our work here does deal with litigation in the intellectual property areas, dealing with trademarks, patents, etc., or in transactional general counsel work for technology-based companies," McDavid says. "We have clients from Alabama, Tennessee, and South Mississippi, as well as from within Oxford," McDavid answers, when asked about his client base.
McDavid says he loves living and working in Oxford, for many reasons. "I live across the street from my office, my church is a block over, my child goes to school just down the street and the University is four blocks away. I joke with my brother, who is an attorney in Jackson, because his parking space is farther away from his office than my house is! Everything is close by here, and what we have is first-class. Oxford is becoming a "destination location" these days, instead of just a place to come to a football game. Shoppers are coming here from Memphis, Jackson, Tupelo, Clarksdale, and other areas to shop and stay."
A native of Oxford, McDavid returned to the town in 1993, and agrees with the general consensus that growth must be balanced with respect for the past. "We have to preserve the things here in Oxford that are most attractive to people, natives and outsiders alike," McDavid says. "Places like the Square, the University, the old neighborhoods on the plateau: we can't afford to allow any modifications to our landmarks, and we haven't so far. Oxford will grow; there's no stopping that. The question is now, Can we make it grow in a positive way?"
In McDavid's opinion, the main impetus behind the revitalization of Oxford's economy is the growth of Baptist Memorial Hospital. "That facility has devoted much money and energy into becoming a major regional hospital, and they're succeeding. We have outstanding doctors, nurses, and technicians now living here solely because of the hospital." While humility might keep James Hahn from making the same comments, certainly the Administrator and CEO of Baptist Memorial would concur that his facility is making a major difference in Oxford.
"Baptist Memorial Hospital out of Memphis bought this facility in 1989 from the county, which owned it at that time," Hahn explains. "It was realized that an affiliation with a stronger health care system was needed. At the time of the purchase of the hospital, there were 23 doctors and 450 employees on staff; today we have 90 doctors and over 1,000 employees, and we're still growing. We've even tripled the physical size of the facility. This is due in large part to us being able to draw specialists and workers from all over the region, thanks to the attractiveness and amenities of Oxford."
As a fully-accredited, 204-bed acute care facility, Hahn says that he is most proud of the fact that Baptist Memorial consistently ranks high in patient satisfaction surveys. "In health care today, your ultimate success depends on costs, access, and quality. I'm a firm believer that these three things have to be provided consistently to the patient; the fact that our patients are confirming that we are doing our job well is a high achievement." Hahn adds that all the credit for such high patient ratings should go to the well-trained and highly qualified staff at the hospital.
Hahn says that much is planned for the future for Baptist Memorial, including the possibility of  offering radiation therapy to cancer patients. "Currently we provide medical oncology treatment, but we are working with the state right now to get permission to offer radiation therapy." Also, Hahn mentions the additional renovations to the facility's surgical unit, as well as the August 3 grand opening of a community based Wellness Center on North Lamar.
"Our success here at Baptist Memorial is very much a corollary of Oxford's success," Hahn sums up. "It's easy for us now to recruit doctors and other health care professionals to our area because Oxford is such a fine community. We have here a lot of big-city amenities but with a small-town friendliness, ease, and accessibility. People are calling us for jobs these days so, therefore, we can afford to be very selective."
Oxford native Richard Howorth, owner of the nationally-famous Square Books on the Square downtown, has been a fixture on the town's literary scene since 1979. No mean feat in a town renowned for William Faulkner, Barry Hannah, Larry Brown and John Grisham. Howorth's rise to bookselling prominence was anything but a long, strange trip however. He claims he had always wanted to own a bookstore, ever since high school.
"My wife, Lisa, and I had saved up $10,000, and then we borrowed another $10,000 from a local bank, and opened on a shoestring," Howorth laughs. Originally located over Nelson's Department Store for seven years, Square Books eventually moved to its present location in 1986 after having bought the building in 1984 from drugstore owner Nolan Blaylock's widow.
"We were growing by double-digit increases almost every year after opening," Howorth recalls, "and we had to have bigger space. We did extensive renovation to the new building, added a cafe, serving coffee, specialty caffeinated drinks, and various sweets, and have grown incredibly since." Howorth confides that another expansion to Square Books may be in the offering soon, but is mum about the particulars.
"I feel we help keep this town unique with our presence here," Howorth says, "along with the other many independent shops and businesses in town. For example, here in the square, we have Uncle Buck's, a fine independent record store. We have a locally-owned video store down the street, and this is what keeps us special in Oxford.
While Howorth's reputation as an outstanding independent bookseller is well known throughout the country, he is uncomfortable with the label of "institution", a descriptive many commentators have used when describing Oxford Square Books.
"I'll never refer to myself that way," he shrugs and laughs. "If others do so, that's their prerogative. I personally prefer to have our customers come in and be surprised instead of being possibly disappointed by some preconceived expectation like shopping at an 'institution.'"
Just across the street from Oxford Books on the Square is yet another 'institution' in downtown Oxford, the Downtown Grill. Established in 1989, this exquisite dining facility has become the choice for upscale dining in the town. Patty Lewis, one of three owners of the restaurant says that the idea for Downtown Grill came when she and her husband, Will, owner of Nelson's Department Store, wanted to fill a void in the Oxford dining scene.
"We wished to bring upscale dining downtown, and I think it can be said that we succeeded," Mrs. Lewis says. "We helped initiate the 'culinary renaissance" here in Oxford, if you will, because prior to our opening, there was really not a lot of eating opportunities here in the community, and none in the square."
General Manager Lee Cauthern, a Clarksdale native, started as a server on the night Downtown Grill opened. He says much more goes into operating and maintaining the quality of a fine restaurant than people realize. "It's a daily challenge, but an exciting one. We try to freshen up our menu on a periodic basis and experiment with unusual dishes," Lewis adds, however, that she feels the Downtown Grill does better by offering a short menu with excellent items, and then modifying the selection every six months or so.
Executive Chef Bobby Moudy, who also began at Downtown Grill as a server, agrees with Mrs. Lewis, and says he loves the challenge of creating new and out-of-the-ordinary dishes. "I've spent my whole life in restaurants," he says, "and have studied with many chefs, but we have something very special here at Downtown Grill."
Part of that "special" experience at Downtown Grill is dining on the balcony overlooking the Square, or the formal area downstairs, while perusing the many historic photographs, paintings, and memorabilia throughout the restaurant. These include a framed original letter written by William Faulkner to the local newspaper addressing the issue of prohibition. Naturally, he's against it.
In operation since 1839, and the oldest store in the South, Nelson's Department Store on the Square can certainly qualify as an historic business. Current co-owner Will Lewis, who, along with his sister, Olivia Nabors, bought the store from the Neilson family in 1967, says the changes the store have gone thorough over the years are innumerable, reflecting the times. As an example. Lewis says that in the early days of the store, Nelson's carried coffins for sale. "People buried their own in those days," Lewis says.
The store, which was totally burned during the Civil War and then rebuilt afterwards, has evolved from more a commissary-type retail outlet to a high quality, sophisticated one today. "When my sister and I bought out the store, we made the decision to create a more upscale, elegant place of business, and we did," Lewis says.
"The community in Oxford has given us tremendous support over the many years we've been here," Lewis says. "And, really, our employees have been our main strength, especially the fine young people from Ole Miss who have worked for us."
"We're bringing a little taste of the Delta to Oxford." So says new restaurateur and Shelby native,  Todd Warrington, owner of the just-opened Five Oaks Grocery on College Hill Road. Trained as a chef at the Memphis Culinary Academy, Warrington and his partner, Gil Potts, had been looking to open a new eating place for a few years. "We were looking for the perfect location," Warrington says, "somewhere a little less congested and out of the way, and, thankfully, we found it."
Bringing a menu selection that is unique to Oxford, Warrington likens Five Oaks Grocery to a restaurant he once cooked at, the famous Crawdads in Merigold. "There's really nothing like us here in town," Warrington says. "You can't get catfish, crawdads, and items like that here in Oxford, and we wanted to be the first to bring that kind of good cooking to the community."
Five Oaks Grocery, named after a general store Warrington's grandfather owned between Lambert and Crowder, MS, can seat 120 and also can cater and handle banquets. In the fall, Warrington says the restaurant will also begin opening for lunch. "Right now we are serving from 5:30 to 10 at night," Warrington tells us, "but when school starts back, we will start serving lunch."
Oxford is indeed a unique Mississippi town, filled not only with many Delta connections, but also with a style, history, and ambience that few Southern locations can match. These facts, coupled with the surging and diverse economy that is currently in place, no doubt demonstrates that Oxford is a community to watch in the future.