Note: This article was published in the Spirit of Jefferson on December, 28, 2022.
Meredith Wait has seen dramatic changes to the business climate in downtown Shepherdstown since starting her tourist oriented business there more than 30 years ago.
Wait, co-owner of the Dickenson and Wait Craft Gallery with her partner Debbie Dickenson, said more day-to-day businesses (for example, a pharmacy, a grocery, a bank, a barbershop) once geared their business models to the needs of local residents. “Today, most businesses in town,” she said, “now cater to tourists.”
Wait, as a serving member of the Jefferson County Convention and Visitors Bureau, provided some relevant statistics. Growth of tourism, not just in Shepherdstown, but in Jefferson County as a whole, generates almost $900 million a year in revenue, which saves residents about $1,000 in taxes per visitor. But she said, Shepherdstown, as a college town, has to strike a three-way balance between the interests of the town, businesses and the university. This requires business owners to participate actively in the community.
Wait was among four panelists from Shepherdstown at a town hall convened by the Town Council who offered their views and answered questions from an overflow audience about how to create a thriving downtown.
The other panelists who answered prepared questions during the town hall discussion forum were Jan Hafer, former director of the Shepherdstown Visitors Center and currently president of Shepherdstown Shares and co-proprietor with Elise Baach of Evolve Shepherdstown, a “pop-up space;” Jordan Gainer, the proprietor of the recently opened MJ’s on German Deli Cafe; and Lois Turco, board member of the Canal Towns Partnership.
The forum on Nov. 17 was the first of a series of planned discussions organized by the Shepherdstown Town Council to get community input into various issues the council has on its municipal government agenda. Chris Stroech and Leah Rampy, representing the council, hosted the meeting and posed the initial questions.
Hafer was asked about Evolve, her current venture. She explained that Evolve is a kind of business incubator that allows its clients to rent the space for a limited time to show their work or to test the market for a certain product for service. Renters of the space, especially artists and artisans can sharpen their business model by seeing how it appeals to the market, including the more than 70,000 visitors Shepherdstown hosts every year. Her long familiarity with the business climate in the town provides an ad hoc consulting element for her clients.
Gainer was then asked what was going well for him as the “new kid” on German Street, MJ’s. He framed his answer by referencing his long experience as a chef for other restaurants saying that “people like food,” implying that restaurants have to know the people they serve and be creative and experimental in discovering their likes and dislikes.
In Shepherdstown he knows local residents value home grown foods and locally produced products, so he buys from local farmers and the Bolivar Bread Bakery. He also cited the helpful advice he gets from other restaurant owners on German Street. He feels optimistic about his enterprise because it’s clear to him (and to people in the audience) that he has already won the loyalty of his customers.
The last formal question went to Turco and concerned what differences and similarities she saw between Shepherdstown and other cities in the Canal Partnership.
She responded first by saying that Shepherdstown is likely the smallest of the towns arrayed along the C&O Canal Towns range as it stretches from Poolesville, MD to Cumberland, MD. So the business interests here are somewhat more limited in scope and number. But all the towns in the partnership are gateways to national parks and tend to draw visitors with similar interests. But being small, Shepherdstown has more difficulty in attracting people from the canal into town. There’s a lack of shuttle service, B and B’s, bike paths, and even a kiosk on the canal to alert potential visitors about what they’ll find if they make the trip into town.
A general question to both the panel and the general audience asked “what one thing” would promote more and better business for the town. The discussion of this item was spirited and elicited a lot of back and forth responses and comments between the audience and the panel. Some of the ideas and concerns that were aired included the following.
- There are large numbers of bikers on the C&O Canal towpath who find it difficult to maneuver securely in town and, in addition, have only limited opportunities to overnight.
- Parking is a perpetual problem and discourages visitors from getting out of their cars.
- The months from January through March are slow tourist months so it would be helpful to put effort into planning for winter events and activities.
- A strong Chamber of Commerce would be an inducement to new businesses, though it would require a full-time paid employee. A business association was, in fact, resurrected before the COVID pandemic, but didn’t survive the lockdown. It would still be useful in branding the town.
- A new hotel, especially along the river, would encourage visitors, though the likelihood is small because of land costs.
- Businesses should make better and fuller use of interns from the university. There’s no coordinated effort to help students.
- A new type of visitors center, potentially located in the Market House (the old town library), staffed by trained volunteers and with the cooperation of the town council would help with branding.
- Businesses should look after their own physical properties and make necessary improvements to establish a visual pride of place.
Marty Amerikaner, a member of the town council, asked a final question. What do business owners want out of town government?
The responses reiterated a lot of the earlier concerns, but included some additional points.
- Commercial real estate taxes are the highest in the county.
- There are a lot of absentee landlords.
- Young people cannot afford to rent in the town.
- There is not enough integration of non-profit and service organizations with business interests. Service group activities should be embedded in the town planning calendar. Integration with the university student calendar could also be valuable.
- Local news outlets are no longer robust.
- The town run is eroding infrastructure and the problem is worsening.
- Local history can be better promoted, possibly through better utilization of the Entler Hotel, which houses the Shepherdstown Museum.
- A decision about short-term rental policy in the town is overdue. (Amerikaner responded that the issue is currently being vetted by the town attorney.)
- Promote the reopening and renovation of the Old Opera House.
- Be practical in determining what of the historical setting of the town is sacred and what can be changed.
Similar Posts:
- None Found