By Natalie M. Zeigler
City Manager
Between Aug. 24 and Sept. 15, downtown Hartsville will have witnessed five ribbon cuttings. In other words, grand opening celebrations are, at the moment, coming at a rate faster than one every five days. It’s extraordinary, and we might wear out our giant novelty scissors this way.
In order, the ribbon cuttings have been Mantissa Executive Suites & Spa, the new location of Indigo Salon and Day Spa, the grand re-opening of Burry Bookstore, a space which now includes Walls of Books as well as Tin Can: a paper boutique, followed by a ribbon cutting for Colours salon. The long-awaited ribbon cutting of Hampton Inn & Suites is coming up on Sept. 15. While it’s surely true that some coincidence is involved in all these new openings happening in a short spurt of time, the overall impression of great excitement in the center of our community is no accident. In the spring and summer, downtown celebrated numerous ribbon cuttings – Crema Coffee Bar, Groucho’s Deli, Hazel’s Delights and North Industrial Machine. More still are on the way as businesses, customers and residents increasingly show us that they want to be here.
I say that it’s no accident, because I know how many talented, hardworking people have labored to make this happen for years. Historic downtowns aren’t easy things to maintain. Aging storefronts need careful upkeep, and there’s little space to build expansive parking lots. Many of us think of these challenges not as liabilities but as strengths. An old downtown brings us all the heritage and character of previous generations, and a compact downtown is a walkable and inviting space. Much of the new activity you’re seeing comes from the passion of individuals. New Burry Bookstore owner Sandi Brown gave us wonderful evidence of this during her ribbon cutting this week, saying that it was “pressed upon my heart” that the iconic business should not close but instead be filled with new life. She has provided only one of the most recent examples of business leaders who care; naming all of them would be impossible.
Another reason for downtown’s direction comes from the City of Hartsville government. Our city’s core can’t move forward without direct physical investment, and today that can be seen in the active Multi-County Business Park-funded projects downtown, including the reconfiguring of one of East College Avenue’s parking lots, the rebuilding of a portion of the Mantissa Row alleyway into a pocket park, and the new streetscaping of a downtown stretch of South Fourth Street. We’re also making plans to build a downtown dog park, answering a call that’s been made for years to build a better city for our dog lovers.
As important as it is, our downtown district remains a place where neglect can be felt keenly, and can easily build on itself. Instead, we’re now seeing enthusiastic and inventive efforts to invest here, with success building on success. I’ve heard repeatedly that Hartsville now has a momentum that needs to keep going. If that is the point we’ve reached, then we genuinely have much to be thankful for.
Natalie Zeigler is the City Manager of Hartsville. For more information, call City Hall at 843-383-3015 or email info2@hartsvillesc.gov.