If you build it up, they will come. And they will expect it to be open.

Local officials have certainly built up Downtown Racine in recent years. Today it features a high-quality art museum and an ever-expanding supply of art galleries, along with a variety of dining choices and beverage stops.

Not that anyone arriving on a Sunday would notice. Except for a handful of shops, the area is typically deserted. That would make a visitor question the validity of the label "Hamptons of the Midwest," which the national media dubbed Racine in lengthy, gushing travel pieces.

We support the Downtown Racine Corp.'s renewed emphasis on store hours. In its new strategic plan, the organization stressed the need to expand and standardize business hours.

This will take some persuasion, of course. Many of the entrepreneurs Downtown run one- or two-person operations that already squeeze out personal time. They're the ones who know their customers best, and one or two of them expanding hours will likely be a waste of their time and a drag on their bottom line.

The strength comes in numbers. If a majority of the retailers and restaurateurs Downtown can be persuaded to shift hours to remain open later or stay open the whole weekend, they should all benefit.

That's because what people value most in a destination are options. They appreciate knowing they could go boating if it's sunny and warm or shopping if it's drizzly and chilly.

Tourism officials have excelled in bringing new annual events to the area in recent years. Racine's Downtown now hosts a triathlon, a professional cycling race, a dragon boat festival, a St. Patrick's Day parade and other events. Now the grease can be applied to get the wheels cruising at the attractions that remain here every weekend.

We're encouraged to see donors step forward to continue the Music on the Monument series. Besides the concerts and the summer farmer's market, it might help to brainstorm other ways to utilize Monument Square. The change from an unkempt, inaccessible place to an open and flexible one was necessary, but the activity there is typically limited to when formal events are happening.

It needs a more welcoming feel to convince people to gather there informally. A consistently lively square, combined with a lot of open doors, would help solidify Downtown's burgeoning reputation.