Downtown Franklin has certainly taken a beating, both literally and figuratively, over the last decade or so.

One flood of historical proportions is enough to finish off most towns; a second one only a few years later would likely do in the rest. And the loss of a major employer just a mile up the road, especially when its employees used to fill up the shops and restaurants of a town’s Main Street, has been the death of many small town business districts over the years.

There’s clearly something about Franklin that is different from so many other towns that would simply curl up and die in the face of adversity. Some would call it determination, while others might call it a stubborn refusal to face reality.

We call it refusing to give up and fighting for what you believe is possible, such as the revival of downtown Franklin. Which is why the glut of good news that has come out of downtown in recent weeks is such a refreshing change — and due reward for those who have fought so hard to keep Franklin alive.

Three new businesses — Texas Nails and Spa, Simply Distributing and Downtown Clearance Center — have held grand opening celebrations downtown in the last month. Another, The Cat’s Meow, is set to open in the coming days. New businesses opening in a community’s downtown business district is good news no matter where you work or live. When it happens in a town that has taken a beating the way Franklin has, it is cause for outright celebration.