Source: The Rogersville Review

By Joel Spears
Features Editor

ROGERSVILLE — Since March 2006 the Rogersville Main Street Program has grown with support from local businesses and through leadership of board members who make up the Rogersville business community.

Events such as the Second Friday Cruise-In on the Square that has been enjoyed by thousands of visitors since it began, as well as the upcoming Trunk- or-Treat event, have been accomplished in part by the Rogersville Main Street in partnership with organizations such as the Rogersville / Hawkins County Chamber of Commerce and the Rogersville Arts Council.

“Our goal is to bring people into the community and make Downtown Rogersville a destination for them to spend the day, and hopefully the night,” Rogersville Main Street board member Nancy Barker said. “With the opening of the Hale Springs Inn and the continued presence of new businesses downtown, we continue to offer more places for people to shop and dine.”

Barker said with the addition of a $15,000 Main Street Innovation Grant the program received this year, Rogersville Main Street has already stepped up its marketing efforts.

Part of that is a television commercial, aired since July on WKPT-TV 19 to viewers in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. Barker said the spot has been shown “to target a diverse audience.”

Joann Anderson, who owns the Sweet Tooth Cafe on Main Street said, “I was very excited about the commercial. It wasn't something I could've done on my own and it's had a very positive impact on business.”

While Anderson said she is aware that one purpose of the Main Street Program is to promote shopping at home, she said having the commercial has helped spread the word about Rogersville's downtown businesses to the rest of Hawkins County and into the Kingsport
market.

Anderson said she also believes the reopening of Hale Springs Inn has been a boost to her business.

“The Inn being open again can only be good for business,” she said, “I believe it is going to generate enough business for each of us as business owners.”

Rick Henry, manager at the popular downtown Rogersville restaurant Oh' Henry's, agreed with Anderson.

“With the inn being open again we've had more people come in to eat who are just driving by to check it out, or even people who have stayed there,” he said.

Henry also said the Main Street Cruise-Ins have helped the restaurant, bringing in newcomers and return customers alike.

“The car shows have been awesome. Business has picked up a whole lot. And one thing I like about it is that we have people from out of town who didn't know we were even here who come back later.”

Kandy Hobbs, owner of Mountain Star Mall on Main Street said a combination of the television commercial and the reopening of the inn have helped her home decor and gifts business.

“I've had a number of people come in who are either staying at the inn or who have heard it's reopened,” Hobbs said. “The T.V. commercial has also really helped my business with local people, who have particularly been responsive to those.”

Brenda Snell, one of the artists whose work is on display at the downtown Local Artist Gallery, said business there has also increased significantly through Cruise-In traffic, but also by word-of-mouth.

“The Cruise-Ins have definitely helped our business,” she said, “but I just spoke to a couple from Memphis who heard about downtown Rogersville and wanted to visit as they drove through the area. We also had a group visit the gallery from Kingsport the other day.”

One way Barker said she hopes to continue seeing a rise in downtown foot traffic is by turning to the Web, as well as magazine promotion, brochures, and visitor information packets. One of those has already taken Rogersville Main Street global with www.rogersvillemainstreet.com - a new Web site with information on businesses, attractions and events in the Rogersville area.

Ideas for promotion of the Rogersville Main Street Program are coordinated through the Main Street Four-point Approach which encourages design, promotion, economic restructuring, and organization for the strengthening of the community.

Barker said each committee on the Main Street Board of Directors has been instrumental in fulfilling these four goals.

“Our design committee has helped get wiring underground on the four squares of the Town Square and they are currently looking at having a sprinkler system installed,” she said. A public restroom facility for downtown visitors is also on their agenda, she noted.

“The promotion committee has been instrumental in publicizing downtown events, as well as developing the Web site,” Barker continued. “The economic restructuring committee has also been busy assisting people who want to start a new business in Rogersville and providing existing merchants with workshops and seminars to improve their business.”

She said members are also in the process of beginning a “Shop Local”
campaign between the Main Street Program and the chamber of commerce, while the organization committee continues to research similar campaigns and work to bring new ideas to the table.

By working together with local organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce and Arts Council, Rogersville Main Street is able to bring many events center stage downtown.

“By blending our expertise, we can utilize all the tools each organization has,” Barker said. “By doing this, we continue to put together events in the downtown district, as well as support our local merchants. It also provides additional entertainment options close to home for our community, which is a plus in the current economic situation.”

As the end of a successful year of Friday night Cruise-Ins draws to a close, Barker said there will be two more on September 11 and on Heritage Days weekend, October 9. Then it will be time for Trunk-or- Treat on October 31.

To round out the year, a brochure to promote downtown Christmas activities will be published by November 1.

For more information about the Rogersville Main Street Program and the services it offers, call (423) 272-2186, visit http:// www.rogersvillemainstreet.com/ on the Web, or E-mail director@rogersvillemainstreet.com.

The Rogersville Main Street program is a subsidiary of the Rogersville / Hawkins County Chamber of Commerce.