Downtown merchants hear revitalization pitch; not everyone impressed
By JOE L. HUGHES II Ledger Staff Writer joe@gaffneyledger.com

City administrator James Taylor revealed the first steps by the city toward a more "visitor friendly" downtown Gaffney on Tuesday, sitting down with members of the Downtown Business Association of Gaffney (DBAG) during their monthly meeting.

During his hour-long presentation, Taylor outlined some of the key issues involved in the opening stages of a downtown revitalization project, which includes the use of signage directing motorists from Interstate 85 to the downtown area.

"We have been working on this signage project for much of the past two years," Taylor said. "First, we have to attract people to downtown Gaffney. Once we have done that, the signs do the rest of the work."

Taylor said currently the city has proposed for signs to be placed at exits 90 and 92 with additional signs leading visitors into Gaffney and its Visitor's Center.

While many of the owners agree signage is needed at exit 90 and S.C. 105, they believe more emphasis should be placed on the city's outskirts rather than on Floyd Baker Boulevard.

"The outskirts of the city are where more directions are needed to draw people downtown," Tony Lipscomb, the owner of Harold's Restaurant, said.

The commercial logo to be placed on billboards, signs, flyers and other promotional material was another sticking point for business owners.

At a meeting a few months ago, Clemson representatives presented a logo using a peach and a lowercase "g" as its features. The logo brought before the DBAG was significantly different after consultants hired by the city for the project suggested a simpler one using the outline of a peach and its leaf.

Taylor claims many city officials said the original was too similar to that of Greenville's commercial logo, which is being used on virtually everything owned by the city.

Believing the proposed logo would have little appeal to motorists traveling the interstate, downtown business owner Darren Mason said the city should have stayed with its original plans.

"When we saw the original logo, we liked it and believed it would be the one used on our signage and billboards," Mason said. "But this will not draw people downtown. It needs to be eye-catching... a quality the original has."

"We must remember that once these signs are made, this is what we will be known for," Lipscomb said. "We must have something that is attractive, but also consistent."

However, before any progress can be made business owners such as Glenda Hartzog of Hartzog's Jewelry claim more has to be done to draw visitors and fellow businesses to the city.

"It is all about first impressions, with people wanting something that will keep them here," Hartzog said. "Right now, we do not have the stores to draw people to downtown Gaffney and keep them coming back.

"In Greer, where every store is not occupied, the city's downtown area is thriving with people going up and down the street mostly because the wealth of stores they have to choose from. For us to get to that same point, we must present a downtown welcoming to new businesses."