The vast majority of businesses in Downtown Waynesville are independent and locally-owned, according to Beth Gilmore, Downtown Waynesville’s Executive Director, and that is what gives the town its identifying character.

The town receives a lot of feedback from people saying they love the fact that downtown shops are truly unique to Waynesville. Gilmore said comments about the town have included “a Hallmark-movie nostalgia” or “quaint, Norman Rockwell-ish vibes” that come from these unique offerings that people are drawn to and continue to come back for.

“It makes the town feel like somewhere different and special,” Gilmore said.

Waynesville is a member of the NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center, which is a Main Street America™ Coordinating Program. Main Street America™ is a network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, that share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. 

Gilmore said these programs created a model for the town to follow — the Main Street Four-Point Approach® to downtown revitalization: Organization, Promotion, Design and Economic Vitality. The town uses this approach to implement a plan that achieves measurable results.

“We’ve been working on that foundation and figuring out where we want to be, then working backward to figure out how to do that,” Gilmore said. “We want to achieve that vision and help put our community on the map.”

Waynesville has been a part of the Main Street program for more than 30 years, and Gilmore said the town is in the shape it is today because they have been following these practices. A recent shift from the Downtown Waynesville Association being run as a nonprofit to being government-run as part of the Town of Waynesville was a massive change

The town board is developing a new brand and campaign — Appalachian True. Gilmore said it is part of a five-year visioning process outlining ‘who’ the town wants to become. There are three prongs to the campaign: 

• Develop the business district into a place for outdoor enthusiasts to rest and recharge between adventures.

• Highlight the true artisans that make the town’s vibe unique and different, and help drive that message of the rich Appalachian culture of the community.

• Market the town to the local community by highlighting and expanding the variety of offerings in the business and Main Street districts, including everyday goods and services local residents need.

The town board is working to develop marketing campaigns that showcase Waynesville’s independent offerings in retail. An Economic Vitality subcommittee is working to identify new opportunities for other independent retailers and develop resources that help businesses set up shop. There is also a collaboration with the Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center to provide resources and find more opportunities for growth, expansion, and community-building.

“These resources and tools equip retailers and merchants to stay vibrant and navigate changes and trends in the market,” Gilmore said. “We want to make sure we are addressing our goals from both angles — economic development and marketing.”

These plans are reviewed annually by the board, and they are working to improve tracking measures. Gilmore said the town has looked to the Tourism Development Authority for data, but their data is focused more on overnight stays than on what happens inside independent shops.

“We know the majority of shoppers are primarily tourists,” Gilmore said. “Building a local following to our independent retailers and downtown spaces has been identified as a priority, and we are trying to reach out to our local community to drive up those numbers so there’s more of a balance.”