This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

SACRAMENTO-

The Downtown Sacramento Partnership wants to turn around the dingy reputation of the “K Street Mall” by rebranding the area.

Lisa Martinez with the Downtown Sacramento Partnership hopes “The Kay” will catch on among business owners and visitors to “K” Street. On Friday, workers started putting up “The Kay” signs on street lights in the area.

“A street is just one area, but it’s all about connectivity and synergy,” said Martinez.

She’s hoping the businesses in the “K” Street area feel connected by a new name. Martinez feels the old “K Street Mall” brand doesn’t fit because the area isn’t a walking mall anymore. The city recently opened the street to cars in hopes that more eyes on the streets would drive away the unsavory elements of “K” Street.

Since then, 17 new businesses have moved to “K” Street.

“There’s a lot of interest from local entrepreneurs,” said Martinez.