DATE: Saturday, November 8, 1997            TAG: 9711080353
SECTION: BUSINESS                PAGE: D1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MEREDITH COHN, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: HAMPTON                           LENGTH:   65 lines

DOWNTOWN HAMPTON IS BUSINESS WITH BOASTERS PARTNERSHIP'S PLAN IS STARTING TO PAY OFF ON THE WATERFRONT.

More boats. That's what members of a group aimed at improving downtown Hampton say has changed in the city this year.

The Downtown Hampton Development Partnership says the visiting pleasure boaters mean more tourists who are hungry, sleepy and looking for souvenirs of their voyage. And that means more business for a city center hoping to continue its revitalization.

The partnership, funded by a special tax on 350 property owners and businesses, opened its doors in June of 1996, and participants are declaring some successes. In an annual report issued this week, the partnership says the number of new businesses and jobs downtown are rising, and so are property values.

But the boats are some members' proudest accomplishment. With an annual budget of $446,416, the partnership invested in 28 boats slips to attract the sailing and cruising crowd. The money was raised by a special property tax of 20 cents for every $100 of assessed value, plus grants, donations and fund-raisers.

The slips cost the partnerhship $83,000 to construct and brought in revenue of $71,000 this year.

``The most significant thing, definitely, is what we've done with the waterfront,'' said Janice Manders, executive director of the partnership.

The piers, paid for by the partnership and used exclusively by transient boaters, came on-line in August 1996. Since then, 3,500 tourists have come through, the partnership reports. Exit surveys show that the average expenditure in town from each is $115 a day.

``That has allowed us to create a shopping and dining niche downtown,'' Manders said.

Ruth Simmons, president of The Virginia Store, which celebrates its fifth year downtown this month, said the boats have added to her summer sales.

``They want to buy little things for their boats like nautical napkins or they want to send a gift home,'' said Simmons, whose shop offers items that were made in Virginia or represent the state.

Simmons said while the extra flow of customers has helped, the partnership has helped make downtown a shopping destination for residents of Hampton. Locals are again looking for unique stores and a way to escape the traditional suburban malls that helped depress many downtowns in the 1980s.

Mike Long, who opened The Pottery Wine and Cheese Shop in May of this year, said the growing office market downtown has helped provide a steady flow of customers to his store for lunch.

Long, who grew up in Hampton, also said he believes more people are working and shopping downtown again.

``I'm in it for the long haul,'' he said. ``I think it's a viable location.''

Long and Simmons said they don't mind paying the special tax to the partnership. Both said their success is tied to downtown's success.

The partnership's Manders said the group still has some challenges.

``We need more jobs,'' she said.

Regional and state economic development groups concentrate on larger manufacturers and industry that create a lot of jobs at once, she said. The partnership works to find small mom-and-pop shops that employ 10 or 20 people but maintain the character of the city.

``We're pooling our resources, both financial and organizational, into one unit,'' she said. ``One person cannot do that alone, but with a collaborative effort we can do something. There are 5,500 employees, 350 business and property owners and $200 million in assessed property values downtown. Those are assets we have to protect.''

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