A publication of Historic Downtown Wilson, Wilson NC
ll er / Fa Summ
2012
– No. 3 Vol. 12
Destination: Downtown Economic Development Why Whirligigs? Beyond saving a beloved local resident’s works of notoriety and creating a world-class public space in Historic Downtown Wilson to serve as a premier location for community events and social gathering place, Henry many have Walston wondered “why”? Is there a larger purpose or plan? For the hundreds of Wilson County Kimberly residents Van Dyk already involved in the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park Project (VSWPP), the answer is clearly YES! The Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park will be a national model for creative economic development, workforce training, and innovative education integrating science, art, sustainability, and history. The Park Project that began as a grassroots movement to save the major works of this internationally-known visionary artist and to further revitalize Historic Downtown Wilson has grown and evolved. You may not know how involved the project is, but we would like to give you some insight. The VSWPP falls under the auspices of Wilson
Downtown Properties and Wilson Downtown Development Corporation with the North Carolina Arts Council and the City of Wilson, and others as collaborative partners. The project is lead by a hands-on Steering Committee and six subcommittees, which are the Executive Committee, Finance Committee, Campaign Committee, Education & Programming Committee, Park Design Committee, and Whirligig Repair and Conservation Committee. There is also a prestigious National Advisory Committee. Each of these groups is charged with various activities to make the park a reality and to make it wildly successful once opened. Our goal is to give you some insight into various aspects of the project as well as a behind the scenes look at the project over the next several newsletters. In this edition, we are going to give you a look into some of the economic development aspects of this project and how we intend to leverage it to drive investment in Historic Downtown Wilson. The project was born out of the idea that our community would be wise to partner with Simpson to not only save these works of art and engineering because of their inherent cultural value, but also utilize this unique “placemaking” opportunity to leverage cutting edge creative economic development. Creative economic development refers to the recruitment of creative
Danny Price, the mechanical foreman at the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park Project, welds a whirligig at the VSWPP Repair and Conservation Headquarters located at the corner of Lodge and Barnes Streets in Historic Downtown Wilson. Photo courtesy of the WDDC
industry to a central location, thereby creating a “sense of place” and synergy, which then generates even more offshoot ingenious businesses. Creative industry refers to a range of economic activities which are concerned with the production of information and innovation in areas such as advertising, architecture, art, crafts, design, environmental sustainability, fashion, film, music, performing arts, publishing, R&D, software, toys, gaming, and media. People
who work in these industries, sometimes called the creative class, are looking for quality of life as well as interesting and inspirational communities in which to conduct their work, which is where we are headed with economic development in Historic Downtown Wilson. Forward thinking proponents of this type of economic strategy suggest that human creativity is the ultimate economic resource and that the industries of
Historic downtown vision A crossroads of charm and innovation, Historic Downtown Wilson is the heartbeat of a diverse community where arts, culture and unique businesses draw people day and night.
See Downtown, Page 2
James Grey & Co. arrives downtown Wilson native Steve Williams and his wife Leta are fully committed to Historic Downtown Wilson’s revival. Their store, James Grey & Co., located at 206 Tarboro Street, has been in development for the past year and all their hard work, massive renovation and product purchasing has paid off in a beautiful showroom they hope will become a focal point and mainstay of a thriving downtown. While the store is technically open now — if for nothing more than that they won’t turn anyone away — it will officially have its grand opening sometime in September of this year. “We truly want people to understand how strongly we feel about downtown,” said Steve. “We just want to be a part of the growth and offer something a little different at the same time.” In addition to beautiful antique furniture and gift items, you’ll find unique
vintage items, table linens, coffee table books, picture frames, trays, ice buckets, garden accessories, gift baskets and more. They are even working on bringing in a supply of wines and an area where someone can drop in just for a glass. “We’re primarily a gift shop, but also want to be somewhere where you can have a glass of wine or microbrew tasting as well,” said Steve. The Williams want the store to be a place “where old and new come together,” both in the inventory they carry and the client base they serve. James Grey will also serve as the home base for the interior design services of Eliza Stephenson, a friend of the Williams. “We hope we can have all the things in place to make it work,” he said. “There’s been a lot of positive response so far. ” Among the positive re-
sponses they’ve had, many are focused on the vintage black and white photos they have for sale of historical Wilson scenes, purchased from famed Wilson photographer Guy Cox. Steve says he hopes to hosts events where Guy Cox or other local figures can come in and give talks about the history depicted in the photos. It’s just one idea in an evolving dream for James Grey & Co. — to be a destination in itself, but to also be a part of the energy of a larger destination like Historic Downtown Wilson. “We hope that people see all the time, effort and commitment we’ve put in,” said Steve. Leta agreed: “We have a lot of belief that the downtown revitalization is going to take off. But you have to be committed for it to work.” James Grey & Co. can be reached at 252-991-5267 and soon found on their website at www.jamesgreyandco.com.