Thrive: Revitalizing WNC downtowns

Mountain towns across Western North Carolina — including Brevard, Dillsboro, Hendersonville, Highlands, Tryon and others — are in the process or have made efforts to revitalize and keep their Main Streets vibrant. This work pays off economically and creates community spirit, according to area groups.

There has been quite a bit of interest and investment in these type efforts the last few years. Several towns have participated in different endeavors to bring new life to their downtowns.

Dalleen Jackson, downtown Hendersonville promotions coordinator, credits the success in Hendersonville over the years to the team effort of dedicated volunteers, passionate business owners and an energetic staff of one full-time and one part-time employee. The results include achieving National Main Street Center and North Carolina Main Street accreditation this year.

"The team follows Main Street America's long-standing revitalization strategy, which offers a critical playbook called the Four Point Approach," Jackson said. "Committees meet monthly and focus on four specific areas: economic vitality, design, promotions and organization. This strategy enables local leaders, downtown staff and volunteers to take maintenance and growth into their own hands.

"One can't succeed on strategy alone. The behind-the-scenes work from volunteers creating event ticket boxes for the Rhythm and Brews concert series, sponsors safeguarding the Bearfootin' art walk bears, to an intern updating social media — our Main Street Program while small in staff, achieves big things with the help of volunteers."

Another way regional downtowns achieve big things is with help from the North Carolina Main Street Center, which serves as the state's leading resource in downtown revitalization. The Main Street Center offers comprehensive strategic economic development technical assistance and resources through its Main Street and Small Town Main Street programs.

Main Street Solutions Fund is one component of the effort. These grants support small business growth and reimburse expenses incurred by the local project. The program has helped several projects in Western North Carolina. In Morganton, it has funded a community kitchen, a community kiln, a grocery store and expansion of a brewery and a bakery in Valdese.

In the two years before receiving a Solutions Fund grant, recipient Main Street districts averaged 26.5 net new jobs per year. In two years after receiving the grant, those same districts average 110.5 net new jobs per year, according to a Place Economics report.

"Every community can be successful if they take the time to develop asset-based economic development strategies to guide their redevelopment initiatives," said Liz Parham, the director of the North Carolina Main Street Center. "We certainly see trends around breweries and restaurants — they can be the magnets that draw people to a downtown area. When communities identify strategies and stay focused, we see tremendous success."

A major strategy to improve downtown areas involves tourism.

"Tourism injects new dollars into downtown economies that keep locally owned Main Street businesses profitable," said Western Carolina University director of hospitality and tourism programs Steve Morse. "Tourist events and attractions spread out over all four seasons help Main Street businesses stay profitable all year long, instead of just during peak tourist seasons. Tourists like to visit and buy projects and food items from local crafters and merchants that reflect the history and culture of the area."

Morse said towns need to think about preserving their authenticity, branding themselves with their own uniqueness, and having a mix of retail, attractions and events that will be unique compared to the next town.

"One complaint often heard is that some downtown merchants are not open during evening hours when tourists are in town," Morse said. "Some professionals in tourism ... estimate that 60 percent of all tourist retail sales occur after 6 p.m. ... So staying open later during peak tourist season may be essential."

Morse said some of the most successful Main Street initiatives are the ones that are authentic and unique and help brand the area.

He cited, for example, "the White Squirrel Festival in Brevard, or the Woolly Worm Festival in Banner Elk. Bryson City has established itself as a tourist destination for both adults and children," he said. "The Smoky Mountain Railroad has done a great job with themed seasonal trip like the Polar Express around Christmas, Wizard of Oz during the summer.

"Not only do these festivals help bring in tourists during the events, but they also brand an area to continue to bring in tourists during off-peak seasons. Downtown Waynesville and the merchants there do a great job with authenticity and hours stores are open."

Case studies in Main Street success

Many mountain towns are reporting good results while using a variety of downtown improvement strategies.

Brevard was able to use some funding to create a mixed-use new construction project. Heart of Brevard executive director Heath Seymour said the town's Main Street program, which began in the 1990s, has taken a slow and steady approach. Thanks to many participants, it has led to 150 businesses in the town of around 7,500 that continues to see new investment.

"Today we have new investors who saw the direction that was set here over the past years and believed in what was happening enough to invest a substantial amount in some recent projects," Seymour said. "One ongoing project is designed and owned by Domokur Architects, and owner Mike Domokur has also worked to improve several other downtown buildings recently."

Seymour said Domokur's "newest project is a new building, and this project received a Main Street Solutions grant to help get it off the ground. Another was the expansion of a restaurant and outdoor store Rocky's Soda Shop and D.D. Bullwinkel's — this project has support from a new Main Street funding source called the Downtown Development Fund."

He continued, "We try to stay knowledgeable about these funding sources to help our potential investors. Others are also starting to take notice as well, and we have other new projects and buildings currently under consideration. I think the ongoing interest in doing business in this historic downtown is probably the main achievement for the program."

Business community support is a common theme in the success of local community revitalization.The Tryon Downtown Development Association was strictly a volunteer organization until last year, with efforts being lead by local citizens and business owners, said Jamie Carpenter, the executive director of the Tryon Downtown Development Association.

Tryon has received $200,000 in Main Street Solutions Fund grants for downtown improvements. The town sought to implement a master plan to redevelop their historic train depot and make needed infrastructure improvements.

"A public-private partnership was formed that included private investments to build a new construction dentist office on Depot Plaza, renovate the historic Depot and convert a former gas station across the street into a retail space on St. Luke's Plaza," Carpenter said.

"Tryon's economic and investment climate has been transformed as a direct consequence of the Main Street Solutions Funds and the Depot Plaza and St. Luke's Plaza projects," Carpenter said. "This program allowed Tryon to leverage private investments to create businesses and a public space for people to enjoy. For every one dollar from the Main Street Solutions Fund grant, $6.75 was leveraged in private or public investment."

Highlands has also actively looked to the future, and the combined efforts of many have positioned the community well for the years ahead, according to Bob Kieltyka, the executive director of the Highlands Area Chamber of Commerce.

Revitalization efforts have been a large part of the civic culture — as in 2003, with the purchase of the historic Old Edwards Inn in the heart of the town with a history that dated back to the 1870s. The investment spurred other significant efforts to have lead to a diverse mixture of retail and rankings as one of the top 10 small town arts communities in the country. The town improved signage to entry points and directional signs throughout the community.

Kieltyka said another project was significantly modernizing the busiest section of Main Street as a result of a $200,000 grant from the N.C. Main Street program to redevelop Town Square.

"Many years ago this Square had been a drive-in motel, later converted to retail and now a much more improved diverse retail powerhouse that includes a signature restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining, a Kilwin's Chocolates & Ice Cream and several other retail businesses, a clothing store, a condiment shop among them and public restrooms," Kieltyka said.

"This location with the owner's permission hosts the Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center's Friday Night Live Convert series every Friday night from May to October, featuring Appalachian style music [that] is registered as part of the Blue Ridge Mountain Music Trail. This project was only possible thanks to a private and public effort."

Dillsboro in Jackson County has seen seen a partnership effort with Western Carolina University that began in 2010 help its downtown after an economy downturn and the loss of being part of the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad.

WCU has collaborated on numerous projects involving dozens of faculty and staff and hundreds of students across many departments and disciplines, ranging from small business counseling to an interdisciplinary effort to create and promote a mobile web application for town attractions, according to WCU faculty member Betty Farmer, who as appointed special assistant to the chancellor for Dillsboro during the project.

"It has been exciting to see the collaborative effort to make this possible," Farmer said. "We were able to work together and create positive changes and see that partnership continue. Dillsboro has always been a good neighbor to WCU, and I was glad we were able to be a good neighbor to them when they needed us. We continue to work with Dillsboro, and it has been a great partnership for both sides."

Businesses are coming back, according to officials. WCU has been very involved in several efforts like the Lights and Luminaries Festival each December in Dillsboro. City officials said the Dec. 6, 2013, event was the most successful day since the economic downturn for the town. And the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad is again making stops in the town.

Partnerships in these and other communities have been the necessary ingredient to Main Street success. In Hendersonville, the downtown group partnered with the 7th Avenue district with a mission of revitalization and growth. Two new breweries and a cidery top the list of new downtown destination locations. Also, the 7th Avenue district will soon see its second brewery when Stags Head joins Southern Appalachian Brewery.

"In successful communities, lasting revitalization depends on strong partnerships and coordination between organizations and people," downtown Hendersonville's Jackson said. "This relationship building has been a big part of our growth."

Downtown projects in Western North Carolina

The Main Street Solutions Fund is involved with the following projects across Western North Carolina:

• The fund provided partial funding to a mixed-use new construction project in Brevard.

• In Morganton, it has funded a community kitchen, a community kiln, a grocery store and an expansion of a brewery.

• Also in Morgantown, it supported the expansion of creation of eight retail and restaurant business downtown.

• In Newton, the fund supported projects for a wine bar and a restaurant.

• Tryon renovated a former automotive building into a restaurant and retail shops with a public plaza.

• A second project in Tryon renovated a former depot into a professional office.

• A new project in Valdese supports a bakery.

• A distillery and brewery in Lenoir received Main Street support.

• Main Street funds supported another brewery in Shelby.

Learn more about the program at nccommerce.com/rd/main-street/.

Source: North Carolina Main Street Center