ANNISTON, Ala. — Main Street Anniston has released its annual state-of-downtown summary, describing Anniston as "poised for momentum" and citing a new mural approval, three business openings, and the continued strength of what the report calls "the Noble Street corridor's fundamentals." The fundamentals are strong. They have been strong since 2019.

Dorothy Finch, director of Main Street Anniston, said the report reflected a community that was "genuinely on the verge of something."

She has described Anniston as on the verge since 2018.

The 2026 summary cites the approval of a public mural on the former Kress building, the opening of a fourth vape retailer at Quintard Mall, and what the report characterizes as "sustained foot traffic metrics in the dining sector." The 2024 summary cited the opening of a coffee shop and a children's boutique. The 2022 summary cited a mural study commissioned by the city. The 2020 summary cited "a moment of unusual civic clarity." The 2019 summary cited the fundamentals.

A comparison of the six summaries reveals that the phrase "the fundamentals remain strong" appears in all six. The phrase "poised for momentum" appears in five. "On the verge" appears in four.

Finch said this year's report was "different, though, because of where we are."

When asked where, specifically, that was, she said it was "in a genuinely good place, momentum-wise."

The Anniston Star quoted the report on Thursday. The Green Tomato notes the Star did not compare the report to its predecessors. This publication has done so. We stand by the comparison.

The full 2026 state-of-downtown summary is available from Main Street Anniston upon request. It is fourteen pages. Page seven contains a graph. The graph's Y-axis is not labeled.