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

DATE: SUNDAY, March 12, 1995                   TAG: 9503130028
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: D-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

DOWNTOWN AT A GLANCE

Geography The downtown service district is a 65-block area bound by Wells Avenue south to Elm Avenue and Fifth Street east to Williamson Road. Also, a portion of Old Southwest near Community Hospital of Roanoke Valley is included.

Employment Approximately 13,825 people work at 560 downtown businesses and other organizations.

Growth In the past five years, about 109 new businesses have opened in downtown Roanoke, adding 1,200 jobs. The net gain, considering businesses that closed, is about 10 businesses per year.

Sales of downtown businesses totaled $50.8 million in 1992, up 20 percent over 1991. Those are the latest years for which figures are available.

Retail sales in the Historic City Market - an area defined as blocks of Salem, Campbell and Church avenues between Williamson Road and Jefferson Street plus Market and Wall streets - were $15.5 million in 1992, a 33 percent increase over 1991. That was the largest sales gain for any Virginia shopping district west of Richmond.

Rental of stalls for farmers and other vendors on the City Market totaled $25,927 in 1994, up 21 percent. The rental take has increased every year for the past four.

Tourism In 1994, 45,714 visitors stopped in the visitors center on Market Street.

- Source Downtown Roanoke Inc.

by CNB