THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY
Dr. Stephen Pearson, chair of the Downtown Development Commission, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Thursday at 11 a.m.
Pearson was pleased to announce that the N.C. Main Street and Rural Planning Center recently named Henderson a designated N.C. Main Street Community. A part of the Main Street Program from the mid-1980s until approximately 2010, a lapse in the completion of requirements cost the downtown area the coveted distinction.
Pearson said the extensive efforts of DDC Board members, the City of Henderson and Downtown Development Director Kathy Walters, among others, made the reinstatement possible.
Benefits of Main Street status include technical assistance with building restoration and access to grant money, perks that Pearson is hopeful will help attract new businesses and breathe new life into downtown. “If you hear excitement in my voice, it’s because I am very excited about downtown’s growth and revitalization,” said Pearson.
Click play to listen to the full interview.
Pearson said he believed so strongly in the potential of the area that he and wife Amanda, formerly based in Tampa, FL, opened Sadie’s Coffee Corner in the former Gupton’s Gun Shop building in downtown Henderson late last year.
“We want this revitalization movement to encourage people to relook at downtown, to relook at being on the DDC Board,” Pearson said. “I want a youthful, energetic and diverse Board of Directors that represents the industries that we need to have in downtown.”
To hear the interview with Pearson in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.