Tiny museum turns Hattiesburg alley into tourist draw

HATTIESBURG, Miss. — What began as a small window display in 2020 has turned a gray downtown alley into a tourist destination, the Hattiesburg Pocket Museum’s founders and local officials say.

Vicki and Rick Taylor opened the museum, also known as “Mississippi’s Tiniest Museum,” during the COVID-19 shutdown. The couple places tiny figurines and scenes in nooks and on utility boxes. The Hattiesburg Convention Commission, which runs the museum and the downtown Saenger Theater, oversees the site.

The organization estimates the exhibit has welcomed more than 300,000 visitors since it opened, coinciding with a more than 40% increase in Hattiesburg’s tourism economy, Visit Hattiesburg CEO Marlo Dorsey said. The alley now hosts a tiny art gallery, a miniature movie theater, colorful murals, a keychain and DVD exchange, a rainbow bridge for pet collars and a motion-activated dance spot, the Taylors and artists said.

Local residents and business owners credited the museum with helping revive downtown. Brianna Moore, who lives in Hattiesburg, said she routinely brings her two sons to the free attraction and that visitors often leave in better spirits. “You may come feeling down, but you’re going to leave excited,” Moore said. Business owners including Tony Lymon, who opened a coffee shop near the museum, said the pocket museum and other creative destinations have helped bring customers downtown.

Artists said the project has provided opportunities and exposure. Gabby Smith said painting murals in the alley helped her build confidence as she moved into art full time. Shaw Ingram, who opened a record store downtown, said the city’s embrace of public art made it an attractive place to launch a business.

Back in her workshop, Vicki Taylor said she once feared the project would fade after the pandemic. Instead, she now spends much of her time curating changing exhibits and said the effort is worth it to show people the city she loves. “Hattiesburg is not a beach town, and it doesn’t have mountains,” Taylor said. “There’s got to be something to get people to come off the highway.”

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