Matt Hebert is a young entrepreneur who has always had a head for business and a love for his hometown.

Hebert fondly remembers the days of his youth when his hometown was bustling with activity, and there were hardly any vacant buildings in sight and he sold snow cones from his parent’s crawfish business.

Since then, businesses and stores have come and gone, but the 29-year-old Oberlin native believes downtown is in a renaissance and he is excited to be a part of cleaning up the area and breathing new life into the heart of the town.

“This is my world,” Hebert said. “I am trying to revitalize main street and get it to where it was back in the ’80, with shops and stores creating local jobs and bringing people to town.”

Hebert recalls the days when every building downtown was full of customers.

“We had everything from tractors to dresses for weddings at one time here on main street,” he said.

That was nearly three decades ago, before the rise of larger corporations like Walmart, Dollar General and Family Dollar.

Now many of the buildings that have been part of the downtown landscape for more than a century, are sitting empty and boarded up, many falling into a state of disrepair.

Hebert is hoping to turn many of those vacant buildings into usable businesses and retail space for small shops and venues.

“My 10-year goal is to have all the buildings occupied and main street revitalized,” Hebert said. “I want to see a better community and bring the community back together.”

He started his own property development company – HE Enterprises –  to plan and finance the projects which include local residential and commercial development.

He has already acquired his first two properties, two of the oldest properties on East Sixth Street, and is looking at others.

Last month, That Southern Charm boutique, Dana’s Hair Care and Sweet Jean Flowers – named after Hebert’s grandmother, opened their doors in one of those buildings,  located just steps away from the parish courthouse. The businesses are in the former gift shop and women’s clothing store once owned by Cammy Guillory.

He has also acquired the old Jenkins Hardware store which first opened its doors in the 1920s when the owner Jimmie Jenkins and his father, Ivor began the business. Hebert hopes to develop it as a new venue, though plans are still in the works for the property.

“I love Oberlin and everybody in Oberlin knows Matt Hebert loves Oberlin,” he said. “There is just something about the family atmosphere, history, and culture of the place that I call home.”

Hebert said one of the biggest rewards is the response to his work.

“I’ve had nothing but positive feedback and a lot of other people are now looking at main street and wanting to do something with their businesses,” he said, pointing to at least one nearby business currently being remodeled. “The new mayor and council also want to see this change for Oberlin.”

Hebert said he has enjoyed meeting the family members of former business owners and learning about their businesses and what Oberlin was like in the past.

“I have been able to learn a lot of the history of each store and how family ran them,” he said.

When not working full-time as an investigator for the Allen Parish Sheriff’s Office, Hebert also runs his family businesses including the Crawfish Shack drive-thru and restaurant.

Started in 2001, the Crawfish Shack is the largest private employer in Oberlin with 50 employees. A second location was opened in Oakdale in 2011.

He also runs the family’s 1,300-acre rice and crawfish farm and T.D. Seafood, which transports crawfish along the Gulf Coast.

He also serves on the Allen Parish Industrial Development Board where he works to find industry and seek economic development projects to create more jobs for the parish.