Hendersonville downtown organization recognized for program excellence

Press release from the city of Hendersonville:

The 2016 NC Main Street Conference was held this past month in downtown Goldsboro, NC. An annual event which involves over 100 communities from across the state and draws more than 500 attendees each year, the conference features a variety of speakers alongside a coveted downtown award and downtown champion programs. In what has become a theme for our community, Downtown Hendersonville was awarded its third program award in as many years and was fortunate to see one of our fabulous “Friends of Downtown” recognized for her efforts in making our community a success story.

Main Street Champions are recognized for their commitment to downtown improvements and strong communities during the annual awards breakfast and our own Patty Adamic, owner of Mike’s On Main in downtown Hendersonville, was one of the thirty-seven individuals from around the state to receive honors for their contributions in 2015. Speaking at the awards ceremony NC Secretary of Commerce John E. Skvarla noted, “Main Street Champions recognize the possibilities in their downtowns and strive to make those possibilities a reality, they represent some of our communities most valued leaders.”

Patty’s recognition is a good reminder of the behind-the-scenes efforts that make Hendersonville such a great place. Patty was recognized as a tireless advocate, business owner and volunteer who consistently puts the success of the downtown district at the forefront.  This past year has seen Patty contributing to our City’s Special Event Policy, helping us refine how we work with organizations on street closures while minimizing the negative impacts of those events on merchants, hosting entertainment for the district at Mike’s on Main and volunteering as the Head Cashier for a double shift at the busiest ticket booth at the Rhythm & Brews monthly concert series. So the next time you’re enjoying Rhythm & Brews, the Bear Auction or the Antique & Vintage Show (and we do hope you will!), take a moment to thank a volunteer. It wouldn’t be at all unlikely that you’ll run into Patty whose enthusiasm might just convince you to sign up and join her as a Friend of Downtown.

You might ask what else, besides hanging out with Patty, does signing up entail? Well…nothing short of joining an award winning team! As we noted earlier, downtown Hendersonville was also fortunate to be recognized by the NC Main Street Center for excellence in programming with an “Award of Merit” for “Best Special Event or Event Series” for last year’s “Downtown Designer Showcase.” Fourteen award winners were recognized for excellence in downtown revitalization efforts in categories that include design, economic vitality, organization and promotion. Chosen by a panel of independent judges, this year’s winners were selected from dozens of applications submitted by Main Street participants throughout the state. North Carolina Commerce Secretary Skvarla noted, “This year’s winners represent some of North Carolina’s best ambassadors promoting business friendly downtowns, historic preservation, and artistic streetscapes, we want to shine a spotlight on their hard work of revitalizing downtowns all across our state and providing job opportunities in our local communities.”

The Designer Showcase required a variety of disparate parties to come together, perhaps each with a slightly different angle on the value of the project for themselves, but with a common interest in seeing the second floor of a traditional downtown commercial building transformed into a showplace for downtown living. Driving the conversation was the Downtown Advisory Committee who, having identified an increase in downtown residential options as a Committee goal, was actively investigating ways to bring the opportunity in this realm to the forefront of the conversation in Hendersonville.

The first piece of this puzzle was finding a property and willing property owner. Marty Payton, an Advisory Committee and Showcase team member, first approached Kimberly and Bryan Rosenberg about the potential of their second story residential unit as the setting for the showcase in the spring of 2014. Kimberly and Bryan had recently purchased the building to house their title insurance business, which was primarily located on the 1st floor. They were using the second floor, which had originally been converted to a residential space in the late 70’s by early downtown living pioneer Burt Browning, for storage and trainings. They realized there was potential but were unsure about how and when to renovate the space. When Marty approached them, describing an opportunity to have a team of interior designers help re-work the space, it didn’t take long for them to get on board!

Getting from initial concept to completed project was no small task and required the diligent, dedicated and significant contributions of a slate of talented professionals. The “Showcase” team and award winners included the Downtown Hendersonville Advisory Committee, spearheaded by Committee members Marty Payton and Michele Sparks and Committee staff Downtown Economic Development Director Lew Holloway and Promotions Coordinator Dalleen Jackson, this group served as the organizing, event coordination and marketing team for the series of activities that were developed around the work done by the general contractor and designers. The project general contractor was Sam Creech of Creech Solutions for Construction and the design team included the talents of local firms Benson & Babb Interiors, Harry Deaton Interiors, Decor 8, Cheryl Smith Associates, Warrren Fluharty Designs, Adesso Interiors and Scott Keel Designs. An additional key partner in the project was Gary Denton of Elmore and Associates-Structural Engineering. The design team, each assigned an individual room, alongside Sam & Gary worked the magic that transformed a dated 70’s residential space to a showcase of high design in downtown. “Without Sam’s steady guidance and the phenomenal talent of our design team this project would have been a non-starter. The dedication and capacity of this group of individuals to this project was unmatched and we are grateful for their contribution to the cause of downtown living in Hendersonville,” Advisory Committee Vice-Chair Michele Sparks.