Editorials - 02/15/01

Streetscape dream is fast becoming reality

From the trials of our 1998 summer of dust to the tribulations of sidewalk and pod construction, Main Street has emerged as the vital destination it deserves to be. Mayor Brenda Oliver told us just the other day that she's hearing compliments from folks in surrounding towns about how much they enjoy visiting Sylva.

Beginning with the exterior painting and repair of our historic courthouse, the most photographed in North Carolina, positive change has come to the buildings of Sylva's central business district. Led by the efforts of the Chamber of Commerce, Main Street's last Victorian house, the Hooper House, is currently undergoing an exterior facelift.

The list goes on. Downtown's oldest building, the C.J. Harris Building that is now home to Crystal Jones' Jackson General Store, was renovated during the summer of 1999. Holly Hooper and Heather Ferguson made extensive interior and exterior changes as they transformed the former Dennis Men's and Ladies into Blackrock Outdoor Co. and Leilia Belle's. Livingston Kelley remodeled and moved his photo and frame shop into the adjoining building. In Your Ear owner Lauren Calvert closed for several weeks recently to revamp the front of her store.

Lulu's on Main owners Laura McBane and Kim Anthony expanded their restaurant to include the re-configured adjoining storefront, adding outdoor dining, a bar and more tables in the process. And, just last week, Alan Gould opened Alan's on Main in the former McGuire house next to the newspaper office. During the seven-month renovation project, the neglected old house was transformed into a thing of beauty.

Mayor Oliver is as pleased as we are with Main Street's transformation.

"First of all, the improvements add to vitality of downtown Sylva. I think just the new mix of businesses is exciting," Oliver said. "We can do most of our shopping there now, and it's wonderful to see some of our older structures saved from destruction and returned to their former beauty."

Downtown's current vigor is the result of everyone in the community believing in the Main Street principle of economic development in the context of historic preservation, said Richard McHargue, SPIR director.

"It doesn't happen without commitment, and it doesn't happen overnight," McHargue said, "but everything we do - events, festivals, streetscape, business recruitment - has a collective effect. It all comes together."

We're excited about our town, and we can already see Main Street's boom spilling over onto Mill Street. Several new businesses have opened on Mill, and we're sure planned beautification efforts on that street will result in even more.

It makes us proud to be part of Main Street.

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