Greer gets its grub on

By NIchole Livengood  

FEBRUARY 23, 2011 8:07 a.m. (0)

The City of Greer has experienced a downturn in building permits and other business license revenue, mirroring a national trend over the past three years, but the success of the city’s downtown restaurants has helped offset significant shortfalls in revenue.

”Restaurants in the City of Greer not only held their own during the recession, but they experienced a double-digit increase in customers,” said Reno Deaton, executive director of Greer Development Corporation.  “These businesses may not have been recession proof, but they certainly have proven to be recession resistant.”

Four restaurants have opened in downtown Greer in the past year, another, Mason Jar, is slated to open in the next couple of weeks, said Angela Rutland of Greer Development Corporation.  She said several of the established restaurants are looking to expand as well, but will not comment on which ones.

New restaurants in new buildings generate additional property tax revenue, said David Seifert, director of finance for the city, and with any new restaurant, the city reaps the benefits from new business license fees, which are based on gross revenue.

Increased foot traffic downtown also means Greer sees increased revenue from the 2 percent hospitality tax, which is used to pay back debts the city acquired in building new parks and renovating properties. Some of these funds also trickle down to the local arts community and other tourism related events.

“It’s good to see new businesses moving into the city,” said Steve Owens, communications manager for the City of Greer. “It really is flying in the face of the economy. People are realizing Greer is a good place and they are coming here.”

Brandon Price has worked at Smith and James Men’s Clothing store for 14 years.  His father has owned the store since 1961. This is the 97th year the store has been open.

“If the economy would have kept going, there wouldn’t be an empty building down here,” Price said. “For the few of us who rode it out, we are doing well now but we had to work hard at it. And Greer has done a good job of marketing itself.”

Price feels more residential and retail properties are the missing key to downtown development.

“We have had a steady stream of new downtown prospects enter our pipeline,” said Rutland.  Although she will not discuss specifics she says she has been pleased with the breadth of restaurant, retail and service providers who have shown interest in Greer Station.

In terms of new office space downtown, the revitalized former train station known as The Depot provides what Rutland refers to as an incubator space for new businesses and entrepreneurs.  Several of the businesses located along Trade, Poinsett and Main Street in Greer Station, were once located at The Depot but outgrew their space.

Russ Braasch of Braasch Building Group is renovating the former Alta Cunningham building to serve as a shared services office building.

“As fortunate as we have been in terms of downtown redevelopment we still have available buildings,” said Rutland. “ Our challenge is to continue to expose our hip and historic downtown to prospects and to help them to access the resources that they need to start up and to be successful.”

Newer retailers like Maiale Boutique, Pink Paisley, Talloni Shoe Salon, The Grapevine, and ZuZu’s Fashion Replay have filled spaces along the main street, but city officials hope events such as the Feb. 26 Greer Station Bridal Expo at Greer City Hall will bring more people into Greer to experience downtown.

“We are also very fortunate that downtown events hosted by groups such as the Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce and regular programming by the City of Greer at Greer City Park provide a constant flow of new foot traffic through our downtown core,” said Rutland.

Officials said Greer has maintained focus on economic development, helping the existing businesses be successful and attracting new businesses to the area as well.

Deaton said the hallmark of Greer’s success has been effective planning and consistent investment in the infrastructure Greer needs to attract restaurants and retail to the area.

“The new city complex, new city park, and new venues for activity in downtown have made the area a real destination for our regular folks as well as tourism. These things, along with restaurant development in the downtown corridor has been significant and has helped to make our downtown a destination,” Deaton said.

Rutland said she was in a meeting recently and someone said she brought her son downtown on a Sunday and there was nowhere to park.

“Thursday through Sunday you can’t get into downtown,” she said. “These restaurants are keeping downtown alive.”

Jason Clark, the owner and head chef at Bin 112, said his business has been going strong for three and a half years.

“The quality and diversity of all of the new restaurants have brought new people to downtown that wouldn’t normally have come and we have all benefited,” he said.

“Have restaurants saved the city budget?  No, but they have kept the overall situation from being worse,” Owens said. “They’ve also undoubtedly had an impact on other areas that we can’t legitimately measure by business license revenue.”