Poplarville Main Street Opens Its First Revitalization Project

Published 1:50 pm Saturday, July 26, 2025

The newly formed Poplarville Main Street organization hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday for its first major revitalization project, Preston’s Alley.
The ceremony took place on July 15, marking the fourth anniversary of the passing of Preston Stuit, for whom the alley is named. His wife, Dawn Stuit, allowed Poplarville Main Street to pursue the project on her property and said she was overjoyed by the love and warmth shown by the community.
“It means the world to me for his memory to live on through Preston Alley,” Stuit said.
The alley, once an unused patch of grass, was developed between two properties owned by Stuit. While the name honors her late husband, nearly every object in Preston’s Alley is dedicated to the memory of loved ones from across the community.
“Everything has been donated in memory of their loved ones so they can live on forever,” Stuit said.
Poplarville Main Street Director Carol Williams organized the project, sharing that it was a true team effort. Inspired by the decorative alleys in Picayune, Williams said she wanted to bring a similar sense of life to downtown Poplarville.
“We had a multitude of volunteers in Poplarville who have stepped up, businesses who have stepped up. I mean, people that have stopped by and said, ‘What can I do to help you?’” Williams said. “So it’s certainly been a community effort.”
When Williams first approached Stuit with the idea for Preston’s Alley, she wasn’t sure how it would be received. But Stuit told Williams to do whatever she wanted with the space.
“I don’t think she thought it was going to be to this level,” Williams said. “I had a vision and I knew what I wanted it to look like, and it was a process. I think it turned out pretty well.”
Williams credited Bonnie Boyce with being her partner in the project.
“If I were Batman, she would be my Robin,” Williams said.
With one Main Street board member out of state for several months and another teaching out of state, Williams and Boyce worked side by side to bring Preston’s Alley to life.
“Every time I needed her, she was right there,” Williams said.
Poplarville Main Street hopes the new alley will serve as a place of leisure and gathering for the community — a reflection of the unity that built it.
“We’re hoping that’s what the community uses it for,” Williams said. “Just a respite to get away from the noise and everything else.”