Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 5, 1993 TAG: 9309030095
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WYTHEVILLE LENGTH: Medium
It has helped neighboring Pulaski, particularly in the past year, as well as Radford, Galax and some other Virginia communities.
A committee studying the pros and cons of applying for Main Street designation will meet at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Ewald-Lester Insurance building to discuss its next step.
The selection of committee members grew out of a meeting last week to gauge interest by people who had businesses or owned property in downtown Wytheville.
That meeting was set up by a group from the Wytheville-Wythe-Bland Chamber of Commerce, which may be recommending to Town Council that Wytheville seek Main Street status.
Brian Kuhens, who represents Wytheville-based Wordsprint Inc. in Galax, said the program has improved the looks of downtown Galax considerably in recent years.
Kuhens felt that it may have been envisioned there initially as a program to keep large retail stores downtown. It did not succeed at that. Several of them closed or moved to shopping centers after the Main Street program got under way.
Wytheville has had a similar experience with the closing of its Leggett store in the past year.
"Everybody was upset when Leggett left. I don't think anybody should've been surprised," said Wordsprint President Bill Gilmer, who has been in the forefront of the downtown improvement push.
He said downtowns that have been successful have switched their focuses from retail to small specialty stores or offices.
For Pulaski, the emphasis has been on arts, antiques and collectibles. Most of its formerly empty downtown stores have been filled since October.
Gilmer said people sometimes have false expectations about what being designated a Main Street community means.
"It is not free money," he said. "What it is mainly is free advice." Teams of experts in areas from architecture to marketing become available to businesses in Main Street communities.
"The brass tacks is, we need a director or at least a part-time director," he said. That would take a local commitment of about $35,000 a year for at least three years.
The matter of how the money would be raised is one of the topics the committee will tackle. Another will be on what niche the town should try to focus.
Pat Thompson, one of the committee members, said Wytheville is already attracting visitors who come to see its historic district. That is an area on which the town could capitalize, she said.
"What do we want to see in our town five years from now?" asked Arlene Crockett, owner of Crockett's Cove store. "Ten years from now?"
by CNB