Nearly three years ago Jena Dennis drove back home after a long day of searching for properties in Palatka. On the very edge of St. Johns County, neighboring East Palatka, a small street caught her eye.
Just off Florida State Road 207, she noticed the quaint town of Hastings tucked behind a singular stop light.
Seconds later her eyes sparkled with excitement as she quickly turned to her husband Allyn.
“That’s it, that's what we’ve been looking for,” she said.
What she did not know was that this historic Stanton Motors building, a Ford dealership in the late 1920s, would soon be the start of Hastings’ comeback – and her newest endeavor.
With its Main Street characterized by a civic center, a multitude of shops and both an elementary and high school, Hastings was once an energetic town. It also dominated the potato and cabbage industry.
But in the ‘80s and ‘90s, as shifts in the agricultural market changed social dynamics, the schools left and residents followed. Adding to the decline, a 1985 fire destroyed the town center and adjacent stores, pushing Hastings into a downward spiral.
“The money was just not there. The town declined and went from a bustling, vibrant Mayberry-type town to an almost dead town,” said Jody Bateman, former Hastings mayor from 1982-1990.
In 2017 the referendum to dissolve as a town was left to the voters, passing at an overwhelming rate.
Hastings remains part of unincorporated St. Johns County, one of only two towns in the state of Florida to voluntarily dissolve.
“It’s a shame that it happened because most of us over here didn't want it. But I don't think there was much of a choice,” said lifelong Hastings resident Cindy Stevens.
After convincing the previous owner to sell the Stanton Motors building to Great Expectations Realty, the Dennis’ company, they began renovating what is soon to become The Venue – a community center for events like weddings and town meetings.
This purchase sparked a movement, inspiring the Dennises to acquire other storefronts and further the economic and historical revitalization of Hastings’ Main Street.
With the help of business and property owners in the area, they formed Hastings Main Street Inc. in 2023.
The group received its Florida Main Street designation in 2024 which aids in technical assistance, “encourages economic development and is dedicated to bringing jobs, money and people back to Florida’s historic districts.” It currently follows these proposed strategies for downtown improvement as well as the national Main Street America model.
“Right now, Hastings is on fire,” said the group’s executive director Sallie O’Hara.
“I've never been affiliated with a nonprofit that has gone so far and so fast in such a short period
of time, and I'm very proud of their accomplishments.”
Dennis noted the Main Street storefronts are now 90-95% occupied, a big jump from 80-90% vacant in 2023. Her goal is to have the street 100% occupied with small, locally owned businesses.
“The people in this community have been underserved for 30, 40 years,” said Dennis.
A number of new businesses have recently established themselves on Main Street. ChocoLattes bakery moved from St. Augustine to open a new location in accordance with The Venue.
Hastings Coffee Co. planted roots right next door, as did Hastings Nutrition.
“Being on the ground floor of building something is really cool,” said Sarah Boger, ChocoLattes baker.
Hastings is being revitalized with the help of its regional community. Supporters in surrounding areas like Palatka, East Palatka, Federal Point and Crescent City, approximately 350 active volunteers and the local Hastings population of roughly 1,250 have dedicated time and money to the revitalization, according to O’Hara.
“We’re trying to build back the idea of Main Street America, and we are doing quite well at it,” said Bateman.
Through fundraising events like the Hastings Fall Festival and Annual Cabbage, Potato and
Bacon Festival in the spring, the Main Street Program is able to fund their work while simultaneously supporting local businesses and farmers.
The upcoming 2025 Fall Festival taking place October 24 and 25 will feature market vendors, artists, live muralists completing a third mural for the downtown area, a flash mob down Main Street and more.
“Festivals get people in to see exactly what we used to have and what we hopefully will have again,” said Stevens.
Although Main Street Inc. has felt nothing but support from residents throughout this process, rapid growth and change in a small community is always worrisome.
“A growth can hurt sometimes,” said Bateman. “I do not want to become part of St. Augustine. I want us to keep our identity and our small-town atmosphere alive as best as possible.”
To combat this, he hopes to preserve Hastings’ rich flavor and showcase its history – his ultimate goal being a Hastings history museum.
“Quite a few of our families have lived here for generations, so, there's a lot of older artifacts and information we're gathering.”
Bateman has already obtained a 1937 Hastings High School senior class ring and copies of the previous local newspaper, the Hastings Herald.
Yearbooks from Hastings High School can be found displayed in Hastings Coffee Co. as local residents continue to bring memorabilia and personal history into the new establishment.
“Hastings deserves this,” said Hastings Coffee Co. owner Chamane Williams. “It needs to be preserved and its story needs to be told.”
On east Ashland Avenue, across the north end of Main Street, a K-8 school opened August 18, promising children a holistic education with both traditionally taught subjects and life skills.
Free Kids Academy also promises to maintain Hastings’ history, as they purchased the Potato Growers Association building, completed in 1927, to house their center of learning.
“We have left the building completely intact,” said co-founder Becky Cummings.
She and her husband, Jeff, even plan to leave the original lettering on the buildings’ facade.
But this is not the only educational project brewing in Florida’s potato capital – First Coast Technical College (FCTC) will take over the cherished Hastings High School building, with its construction presumed to be done by the end of 2026.
In addition, a standalone center will be built in the adjacent 13 acres to serve as FCTC’s third campus location and a solar energy and diesel automotive workforce training facility, according to St. Johns County school board vice chair Anthony Coleman.
The St. Johns County School Board alongside the Board of County Commissioners received a $9.5 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to complete this project. An additional $1.8 million was added with local funds from the St. Johns County school district.
“Having school sites here will continue to better build Hastings and give more locals opportunities,” said Coleman, who was born and raised in Hastings, attended Hastings High School and later FCTC’s main campus in St. Augustine.
To pair with these educational institutions, Hastings Community Center and Library is expected to open February of 2026, according to O’Hara. On the grounds of the previous town center, it will provide “public computers with internet and Wi-Fi access, public meeting rooms, a children and teen area, reference service and HHS services.”
“Giving the community the ability to walk to a library is very exciting,” said Coleman.
More locally owned businesses settling in Hastings include Belle’s Seafood Market, Holcomb’s Seafood & Meats and Juniper Market.
With Main Street Inc.’s unwavering commitment and the help of county officials, Hastings’ history is not only being preserved, it is being rewritten.