New small businesses open in Sacramento's Midtown as growth continues

New shops, restaurants, and community spaces are bringing energy and life to Sacramento's Midtown, which is good news for the local economy.  

As the national trend shows small businesses are struggling to stay open, there's growth in Sacramento.

"People want this in their neighborhood and they're putting their money where they want it," said Nooshin Movassaghi with East Village Book Shop.

The East Village Book Shop's new second location sits on a busy corner in Sacramento on J Street.

"People feel good to be kind of involved with the store, they see it as their store," Movassaghi said.

Open signs in the window are a win for the local economy. Just two months into 2026, Midtown is on track to mirror the growth of the last two years.

The shop's book seller credits the community.

"We get tons of people who support her actions by just showing up and buying books from us instead of just going to the online situation, that most people try to avoid," Movassaghi said.

A dozen new businesses have opened their doors in just the past few months, from woman-owned wineries and wine lounges to coffee shops, bookstores, boutique gyms and a sushi favorite making a comeback.

At East Village Book Shop, they say the growth wasn't just about selling what's on the shelves, but creating a space that couldn't be found online or in a big box store.

"Everyone is looking for something to bring joy to their daily life, we're all struggling with the world right now, feel good, fantasy, or for their kids," Movassaghi said.

Last year, 24 new businesses opened in Midtown. In 2024, 21 new businesses opened. This year is tracking to match that, again.