While city officials in Landrum say there has not been a concerted effort on their part to attract new businesses, storefronts are filling up throughout downtown with a bakery still to open.
“There are people on the street all the time and for a business owner that is important,” said Evelyn Schaper, who co-owns Voyageur’s Antiques, one of several new businesses to open in Landrum in the last month.
Schaper runs Voyageur’s Antiques with partner Ed Lettelier. The two have both lived in the area for about 12 years, most recently operating the antique business near the state line.
“When we weren’t getting any foot traffic on the state line we felt it was time for a move,” Schaper said.
They felt they had found the perfect location in the 8,600-square-foot building right on the main strip through Landrum. Schaper said the vibrancy of the town on weekends made their decision easy.
“Landrum has a lot of things going on and I think maybe the billboard on the interstate has caught people’s attention as well,” Schaper said. “If you drive down here on a Saturday the traffic is bumper to bumper.”
Mayor Bobby Briggs is encouraged by the recent business activity.
While he said the town has not crafted a specific plan to recruit new businesses, he does believe efforts to tout Landrum as a haven for travelers has helped many businesses see the potential in moving to the city’s downtown area.
“If there is a perception of things going bad, it can become a bad downward spiral, but in the same sense, if it seems like things are going well for other business owners, then that can be contagious too,” Briggs said.
Briggs said the town put up its first billboard about a year and a half ago to attract more tourists to the area. It also began taking a closer look at ways to promote the town through its website.
City Manager Steve Wolochowicz said the website received 130,000 hits last month.
“That’s the most we’ve seen since the site has been up over the past six years,” Wolochowicz said in a recent meeting.
Just in the last six months, Ken’s Fine Meats & Seafood and Dutch Country Foods, both opened. The two recently held ribbon cuttings.
Meanwhile a second new antique store, Carolina Antiques and More, opened last week and continues to fill their shop with new items. Cakes & Confections 4U has its sign up on the shop beside The Hare & Hound but has not posted when they expect to open.
Briggs said the town encourages new business owners to be as involved in community events as they can be. He hopes to see many of them offer later hours, especially during events like the Christmas stroll.
“If we’re trying to bill ourselves as a tourist destination and nobody is open during community events, especially, that’s a negative,” Briggs said.