Below the Bypass and accessed mainly from Main Street, the district was once the heart of Homer. It is still a vibrant area that draws locals and visitors for beach walks, dining, entertainment and art as well as basic needs like help with computers.
Plans and actions are now underway to enhance the beauty and safety of Old Town through a project called Family Garden.
After the 1964 earthquake, when some of the bluff area slid into Cook Inlet, the area was all but abandoned. Then in the late 1980s a group of artists began renting and renovating the old Inlet Trading Post, creating an innovative gallery studio and sparking the rebirth of Old Town. Within a few years the building became an incubator, the center of an Old Town revival. Two Sisters Bakery, Old Inlet Bookshop, Kachemak Heritage Land Trust and several brewers got their start in the building and then built their own separate locations, up and down Bunnell Street. But despite all the new development, Old Town's public spaces are still rough.
The Old Town People's Garden project envisions involving the whole Homer community to make exterior Old Town as visually appealing, safe and vibrant as it is inside the establishments. They hope to make it inviting for dog-walkers, jugglers, street fairs, block parties and strolling musicians, elevating Old Town to a special Homer hot spot.
