DOWNTOWN LEXINGTON IS ALIVE AND WELL

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, April 12, 1993                   TAG: 9304120254
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A9   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
DOWNTOWN LEXINGTON IS ALIVE AND WELL
COME ON, guys, give us a break! Was that a hatchet job on downtown Lexington or what on the front page of the March 23 Virginia section in the Roanoke Times & World-News? How about a little sensitivity from you down the valley in the Star City?
An article on the closing of three downtown stores with a long and rich history would have been responsible journalism. We are sad to see these businesses closing. But, the demise of downtown Lexington? That is a leap of speculation, not fact.
Let's look at the facts. The owners of the three buildings where businesses are leaving have no plans for law offices in their buildings. TGIF Outlet store, a successful retail business in downtown Lexington, has just signed a lease in the McCrum's building. Varner and Pole is hopeful that they will soon sign a lease to move to a new location, also in downtown Lexington. The Lexington Downtown Development Association is actively recruiting a new hardware store in the same location.
During the past year, more than 10 new businesses and restaurants have opened in the downtown area. Businesses do not open in a "dying" location. Significant reinvestment in older buildings and a raise in real-estate prices are also signs of a healthy downtown.
But good news was not a good story. We think your writer, Jay Taylor, looked for quotes that supported decline. When he found it, he used it. When he heard of progress and change, he omitted most of that. The nearly 200 owners of successful businesses in downtown Lexington would appreciate equal time to tell their story. E. CARTER LOWRY President, Lexington Downtown Development Association LEXINGTON

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB