DELIVER TO: Postal Patron Mechanicsville, VA 23111
Vol. 37, No. 30 | Richmond Suburban News | November 3, 2021
STOPS AT EVERY HOME IN TOWN
Annual report reveals promising indicators
Hanover Shopping Week promotes local businesses By Jim Ridolphi For The Mechanicsville Local
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ust in time for the busiest shopping time of the year, the Hanover Economic Development Department and the Hanover Chamber of Commerce are launching a program designed to attract customers to local Hanover businesses during the busy holiday shopping season. “We are going to take just a couple of minutes to share with you our Shop Local campaign and how we are going to promote business here in Hanover for the holidays,” Chamber executive director Melissa Haley told supervisors last week. Economic Development Existing Business Manger Jessica Hartness explained the origins of the Shop Local campaign that began in the spring and the potential that these types of campaigns can have on local business. “Back at the beginning of this year, we had some interest from the busi-
Jim Ridolphi/The Local
Hanover Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Melissa Haley, left, and Economic Development Director in charge of Existing Business Jessica Hartness unveiled a plan at last week's Board of Supervisors meeting designed to attract customers to local businesses during the week of Nov. 20 through 29 called Hanover Shopping Week.
ness community about getting a better idea of exactly how shopping locally impacts the local economy and our
More treats than tricks! Joel Klein for The Local
More than 180 residences in Ashland participated in the Town’s Trick or Treat celebration during the weekend. Houses along the tracks were decorated for the occasion, and special events were planned around the town and the county for special trick-or-treating events. There was even a pub crawl for the older goblins on Friday night.
Prsrt. Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Mechanicsville, VA Permit No.141
local businesses,” she said. “After some talk ,we ended up hiring a videographer who put together a video reiterating the significance of spending their dollars locally,” she added. That Shop Local program was unveiled in May and showcased local businesses and provided marketing materials such as window signs promoting the program. Local businesses were also featured in short vignettes on the agency’s website. “For the most part, we received positive feedback from the community we were intending to help,” she said. “ We thought how can we capitalize on this campaign that we launched in May to help businesses during this important shopping week of the year.” November 20 through 29 is the busiest shopping week of the year, a traditional flurry of consumer activities that includes Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The week also included Hanover’s birthday and is part of see SHOPPING, pg. 7
County economy bounces back after COVID By Jim Ridolphi For The Mechanicsville Local By every indication, Hanover’s economy has reached full recovery mode only months after a devastating pandemic threatened to stifle growth and threaten the future of economic development in the county. Economic Development Director Linwood Thomas presented the department’s annual financial report to supervisors last month and listed a variety of developments that erase any doubt regarding the county’s ability to rebound from the COVID-19 crisis. During the past five years, the amount of assessable commercial land has increased by more than 20%, and it saw a 6% increase over the last year. Thomas said the amount of commercial real estate in the Richmond area has skyrocketed, coupled with the fact that Hanover has added a substantial amount of product to its inventory. “I think in the next 24 to 36 months you will continue to see these commercial assessed
Jim Ridolphi/The Local
Linwood Thomas presented his annual economic development report at last month’s board of supervisors meeting. Despite challenging conditions prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Hanover’s economy is on its way to recovery with a number of new business announcements and openings during the past year.
values skyrocket,” Thomas said. While most of the region has suffered through increased office vacancy rates, the county’s rate of available office space has actually decreased, a positive sign for the health of the county’s economy. Hanover only accounts for about 3% of the available office space in the metro Richmond region, and the county’s office space is largely dominated with see DEVELOPMENT, pg. 15