Oct 10, 2019
Our guest on this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast is Kaylynn Horne, Director of the Downtown Lenoir Economic Development Department. In recent years, the Lenoir City Council and the Lenoir Business Advisory Board have decided to make the cityscape, visitor experience, and economic development of downtown Lenoir a priority by allocating resources to projects to accomplish these goals. As a result, local business owners have begun upgrading their own spaces to make downtown Lenoir a truly pleasant and enjoyable place to visit, shop, and dine.
In addition to this ongoing partnership between the public and private sectors, Lenoir also hosts several annual festivals that draw crowds from the region and beyond. The Blackberry Festival celebrates all things blackberry, including the longest patchwork blackberry cobbler ever, which contained over 2,200 servings last year. The Carolina Tattoo and Arts Festival hosts world renowned tattoo artists who are available for appointments and to showcase their tattoo art. The Smoking in the Foothills BBQ Festival celebrates the furniture-making and barbeque smoking heritages of the area with events such as a woodcrafter showcase.
The city of Lenoir recently unveiled a new logo and website intended to increase awareness of and interest in the town, particularly highlighting events, shopping, and dining establishments in the downtown area. They are also making a conscious effort to “move Lenoir to the second floor”, updating some of the second floor spaces in the downtown district to encourage more residents to live above the flourishing businesses there. While there are certainly challenges that come along with improvements in technology and the changing times, there are many more opportunities available, and Lenoir is a great place to start when looking for what is next.
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