Alamogordo’s MainStreet District Now Surpasses $7 Million in Private Investment With Additional Business Planned for 2026

ALAMOGORDO, NM — Just days after the conclusion of the New Mexico MainStreet Conference—hosted at the Dudley School Community Center and along New York Avenue—momentum continues to build in Alamogordo’s downtown. 2nd Life Media journalist Chris Edwards has discovered that two additional businesses are committing to the aspiring Cultural Arts District within the 1100 and 1200 blocks of New York Avenue, further expanding the Alamogordo MainStreet District and pushing private investment totals beyond $7 million.

This announcement adds to a growing list of creative and entrepreneurial ventures reshaping the district. On the 1200 block, a Pop-Up Emporium is forming at the corner of 12th Street and New York Avenue next to Our Little Country Store. Designed as a flexible retail space, the Emporium will host rotating vendors and seasonal showcases, offering a platform for emerging makers and artists.

In January 2026, the same location will welcome Jo’s Workshop, a creative studio and artisan space founded by local artist Joanne Blumenthal, now known as Joanne Scaramella. Renowned for her work in junk journaling, fine jewelry, and wrapped stone art, Scaramella has been a resident artist at Roadrunner Emporium. Her workshops have become a staple of Alamogordo’s arts scene, featured in New Mexico Influence Magazine and celebrated for their community impact.

Behind the Historic Sands Theater on the 1100 block, a new cultural venue is emerging—Atelier Regina, the vision of mixed media artist and iconographer Regina Hanna. Drawing inspiration from sacred spaces around the world, Hanna’s work explores silence as a sacred force and creative catalyst. Her studio, originally based in Cloudcroft, is expanding into Alamogordo to host immersive installations, workshops, and storytelling events that honor indigenous wisdom and elevate underrepresented voices.

Also behind the Sands Theater and facing White Sands Boulevard, Infinity Sweets 2 is preparing to launch an expanded bakery with a larger menu and seating area to better serve the Alamogordo community.

These new ventures join a robust lineup of private investments already reshaping the MainStreet district. RAD Retrocade on the 800 block has invested over $1.2 million to develop an arcade, bar, and event venue. The Historic Sands Theater itself is undergoing a major retrofit—also valued at $1.2 million—to restore its art deco charm and introduce an esports arena. The Avis Building is being converted into a brewpub with an estimated $2.3 million restoration underway. The Oppenheimer GasHaus, a German-American restaurant on the 900 block, is investing up to $300,000 in its buildout, while the Victoria building has undergone a $100,000 renovation. A shopping center on the 1200 block has committed another $100,000 to exterior upgrades, and Our Little Country Store has completed a $25,000 buildout. The Rock It Rocket, a new music store opening this November at 920 New York Avenue, is backed by an estimated $100,000 investment. Two gallery spaces at 1207 and 1209 New York Avenue have received approximately $200,000 in buildouts and façade improvements.

Further anchoring the district’s innovation economy is the newly opened Inkwell Innovation Center. Supported by more than $1 million in LEDA funding, the center offers co-working spaces, maker labs, and business incubation programs. It serves as a dynamic hub for creative entrepreneurship and collaboration, reinforcing Alamogordo’s commitment to fostering local talent and sustainable growth.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for November 29th marks a symbolic milestone—but city leaders emphasize it is only the beginning. The partnership in business development and new business recruitment between the City of Alamogordo and Alamogordo MainStreet is expanding well beyond the original 800 and 900 blocks.

New business development and investment is now reaching into the 1100 and 1200 blocks, where new businesses are actively remodeling and rehabilitating historic buildings, the shopping center and business facades and with preperations for multiple grand openings throughout the several blocks in 2026.

Mayor Pro Tempore Sharon McDonald, who has led the revitalization effort, expressed optimism about the district’s future: “We’ve laid the foundation, and now private investors are stepping up to make MainStreet (the New York Avenue district and adjacent streets) vital again. This isn’t just about beautification—it’s about building a sustainable, creative economy that reflects the spirit of Alamogordo.”

With dozens of projects in motion and a growing roster of cultural and commercial ventures now working towards opening in 2026, Alamogordo’s MainStreet district is poised to become a regional beacon for innovation, artistry, and community pride.

More News from Alamogordo

• Miami Street Exhibit Unveiled at Tularosa Basin Museum Honors Legacy of Black Community in Alamogordo Come check out the Miami Street Experience and several new exhibits at the Tularosa Basin Museum…
• Alamogordo’s Aspiring Arts District to Add Jo’s Workshop, Atelier Regina, and Infinity Sweets 2 Three New Ventures Join the Creative Corridor of the 1100 and 1200 Blocks of New York Avenue