December 9 Business & Tourism Team Meeting Recap
Andrews Vision
Business & Tourism Action Team
Slide Deck
Meeting Summary (December 9, 2025)
The Business & Tourism Action Team met on December 9, 2025, bringing together residents, business owners, and community partners committed to strengthening Andrews’ downtown economy and tourism potential. The meeting focused on establishing shared working values, revisiting community priorities from the August Town Hall, identifying actionable strategies to activate vacant buildings and support entrepreneurs, and expanding the circle of partners needed to advance the work.
Participants expressed optimism and encouragement, noting the strong turnout, the mix of long-time residents and newer community members, and a shared belief that Andrews is at an important moment of opportunity. The discussion emphasized realistic optimism, collaboration, and taking practical steps that can build momentum while supporting longer-term revitalization efforts.
1. Welcome & Introductions
Participants introduced themselves and shared what brought them to the meeting and to Andrews. The group reflected a wide range of perspectives, including long-time locals, newcomers, small business owners, and civic leaders.
2. Setting the Table: How We Will Work Together
The team discussed guiding principles to shape how the work is done, recognizing that process and relationships matter as much as outcomes. Agreed-upon principles included:
Transparency – Sharing information openly and providing regular updates
Collaboration – Working across businesses, organizations, and sectors
Action – Moving ideas toward implementation
Positivity – Maintaining an optimistic, solutions-oriented mindset
Participants also emphasized persistence, acknowledging that meaningful downtown and economic revitalization takes time, consistency, and follow-through.
3. Revisiting Community Vision & Town Hall Priorities
The group revisited themes from the August 26 Town Hall and the broader Andrews Vision work, reaffirming shared goals for business development and tourism:
A welcoming and attractive downtown supported by storefront activation and safety
A community gathering place with family-friendly events, live music, art, and cultural celebrations
A vibrant small-town hub with diverse retail, restaurants, and evening activity
An outdoor destination that connects forests, trails, and rivers to downtown commerce
A central organizing goal emerged: creating a full, attractive downtown with fewer empty spaces, supported by intentional small business support, property activation, and tourism strategies.
4. Top Ideas Discussed & Priority Focus Areas
Small Business Incubator
The team discussed the creation of a small business incubator to help entrepreneurs build confidence and move ideas from concept to launch. The incubator could bring regional business-support partners (such as Mountain BizWorks) to Andrews to provide training and coaching in key areas including accounting, taxes, access to capital, loans, business planning, and legal basics. Shared resources—such as reliable internet, printing, and workspace—could reduce startup costs, while pairing new entrepreneurs with local, peer-to-peer business mentors would provide practical guidance and encouragement.
Building Inventory
Participants emphasized the need to develop and maintain a clear inventory of available downtown buildings, including ownership, condition, and readiness for use. The group discussed exploring whether to post the inventory publicly through platforms such as the Town website, Andrews Vision, or the Chamber. At a minimum, linking to existing public records or searchable databases was seen as an important step to increase transparency and reduce barriers for prospective tenants and investors.
Engage & Incentivize Building Owners
The team discussed the importance of understanding what building owners and landlords need to activate vacant or underutilized properties. Participants explored the possibility of incentives and disincentives, developed through the Town with recommendations from the zoning board. Key elements include clarifying expectations, communicating directly with owners and lenders, and establishing a clear, fair process—supporting owners in making needed improvements while holding properties accountable for remaining vacant. The shared goal is to move buildings from vacancy to productive use.
5. Ongoing Research & Emerging Ideas
Affordable Rent
Participants emphasized maintaining accessible commercial rents to lower barriers for entrepreneurs. Ideas included sliding-scale or graduated rent structures for new businesses, positioning Andrews as a welcoming and supportive place to launch, test, and grow small businesses without being priced out.
Expand & Enhance Events and Festivals
The group discussed building on existing events and festivals by adding distinctive elements that attract both local residents and regional visitors. Stronger, more coordinated promotion was identified as a priority, including expanding outreach beyond Facebook by growing a consistent presence on Instagram and TikTok and using multiple channels to ensure people know what’s happening and when.
Inspiration: West Jefferson, NC
West Jefferson was highlighted as an example of successful downtown revitalization. Between 2015 and 2025, the town transformed seven core downtown blocks—once in similar condition to Andrews’ three downtown blocks—into a vibrant district with no commercial vacancies. Participants expressed interest in organizing a peer-learning visit to better understand the steps taken, contributing factors, lessons learned, and strategies that could be adapted locally.
Best Practice Research
Alderman Ted Paul is researching best practices in small-town transformation, with a focus on strategies such as establishing a small business incubator and developing a greenway trail connecting local parks. These efforts could support economic development, quality of life, and stronger physical and social connections across the community.
Youth Entrepreneurship & Experiential Learning
Teammates shared ideas for developing youth entrepreneurship including hosting youth art displays on building facades and securing a Junior Achievement exhibit in a vacant downtown building. This could promote youth entrepreneurship, provide hands-on financial and business education, and attract school field trips from across the region—bringing both foot traffic and new visibility to downtown Andrews.
Gateways & First Impressions
Participants shared the importance of enhancing Andrews’ primary gateways, particularly the main entry at the four-lane exit near West End Plaza, and exploring the feasibility of improving this entrance and/or redefining the town’s main entryway to the exit near the Rest Area. Strategic improvements—such as signage, landscaping, public art, and wayfinding—could significantly improve first impressions and reinforce community identity.
Heritage, Placemaking & Walking Tours
The group looked to towns such as Edenton, NC, and Prescott, AZ, for inspiration in celebrating local history through placemaking. These communities use plaques on downtown buildings to highlight original uses and offer guided or self-guided walking tours through libraries or partner organizations. A similar approach in Andrews could build community pride, preserve local history, and create an engaging activity for visitors, including Rail Car customers and festival attendees.
6. Expanding the Table
Participants identified additional voices needed to move the work forward, including:
Additional building owners and investors
Small business owners not yet engaged
Brokers and real estate professionals
State and regional partners, including the NC Department of Commerce
Outreach to these individuals will be coordinated ahead of the next meeting. On-line/in-person meeting strategies will be explored.
7. Next Steps
Meeting notes and updates will be posted at AndrewsVision.org
Team members will begin outreach to missing stakeholders
Follow-up communication will focus on prioritizing projects, assigning leads, and sequencing next actions
The meeting closed with a shared sense of optimism and a commitment to continue working together to support a thriving, welcoming, and economically resilient Andrews.
