CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – Organizers with Conway Downtown Alive say they’ve recently received phone calls from residents about empty store fronts in the Downtown area.
Executive Director Hillary Howard says the empty stores don’t represent the direction Downtown Conway is heading.
“We’re really seeing a lot of movement downtown and I have a waiting list of people who are looking for square footage of buildings that are 1500 to 2000 square feet, but there’s nothing available right now. So I kind of respond to those people who are saying ‘look at all the empty store fronts well then let’s get these people moved in,’ but there’s not some place to put them right now,” Howard said.
Howard says it’s an 18 month cycle of business moving in, out and around the downtown area. That includes business owners like Matthew Varnadore who recently moved his business, Waccamaw Outfitters.
“I moved because of one, the space and opportunity to get a bigger space of retail space which I needed because we were growing and trying to expand more,” Varnadore said.
He’s now located on Third Avenue which was his preference over Main Street. He says it’s a common theme among businesses.
“Even though there’s three buildings open on Main Street, they want to be on Third Avenue where there’s nothing available and I think that’s the big thing. It’s just location of where that particular business owner wants to be,” explains Howard.
This month, Conway Downtown Alive Directors say they will welcome three new businesses.
- Bonfire opened Wednesday on the Riverfront
- Fair Fashion and Formal wear opened Monday and is located at 314 Main Street
- Downtown Grill is located at 1022 3rd Avenue and will be opening in the next week or so
“As Downtown Conway continues to grow, you’re going to see us become very much a destination for casual dining. We have about 15 restaurants in the downtown district and people don’t realize that because you can’t park your car and see all those restaurants. So I think you’re going to see more opportunities for dining,” Howard said.
Conway City Council members say they are also working on new incentives to promote economic growth in the downtown area, something those tasked with promoting downtown say will help secure its future.
Every Friday this month the group will host Rivertown Art Stroll from 6 – 8:30 p.m. as a way to bring more foot traffic and new customers to the area.
