BorninSparkleCity

Spartanburg dropped to the Third Tier in the 2024 Milkin Institute 's Best Performing Cities report. The city did still have positive indicators. https://milkeninstitute.org/best-performing-cities

Spartanburg made this list again: https://realestate.usnews.com/places/south-carolina/spartanburg

The Peach Country Passage of the Palmetto Trail passes through Inman thus connecting to the to the Saluda Grade Trail. And the Dan connects to the Palmetto Trail. Since the Peach Country Passage uses roadways to connect Inman to Landrum this new trail may well provide an off-road alternative for the Palmetto Trail. This is an exciting development!

The owners of the Mast Stores are personally known to me. They are not far off franchisers. They are neighbors from small town North Carolina who have a deep sensitivity to carefully curated products and fairness for employees. I can't imagine that "bamboozling" is in their business strategy. The Coopers are genuinely good people. I would hope that the local outfitter and Mast could coexist peacefully, just as Belk's and Aug Smith did for years.

Please give a reference for PROJECT CORE so that I may read more about it. Thanks.

Landrum has a brew pub on the way.

The Mast Store is owned by a family which is generous, moral and community-minded. The Valle Crucis store is a National Historic Landmark. They have expanded but it just might be that their risk was to come to towns in the early stages of revival and contribute to the town's renewal. Their original tagline was they offered everything from "caskets to clothespins." (True. They had a pine box early on.) My thought, by asking the original question in this thread, was to wonder about the expansion of a diversity products for purchase, especially unique and well-made (non-big box) clothing and iron ware and candy and crafts and toys. This incarnation of a general store offers such rich diversity.

Do I remember some discussion of trying to land a Mast Store downtown years ago? Did that just fizzle out? Isn't there an entity/source/agency which offers incentives? And if not the Mast Store, a good equivalent...

I am newly returned to the area. Just wondering why Spartanburg doesn't have any "luxury brand" auto dealerships? I realize that Greenville has such dealerships, but they are not really convenient for service after the sale.

IMO - This is an unfortunately composed addition to the classsic (but not very imaginative red brick and white column church) style of this Baptist Church.

Took a Google Map stroll from the West Main at Forest Street location roads-scholar just posted toward town. Isn't there a buried creek near Wakefield Buick? Wouldn't it be great to daylight it and have some kind of water feature in that vicinity?

https://gsabusiness.com/news/architecture/80715/ Did everyone see this? Award for the Montgomery Building restoration.

Spartanburg ranked number 28 on this list of Best Performing Large Cities from the Milken Institute. This was up 8 places. See it here: https://assets1c.milkeninstitute.org/assets/Publication/ResearchReport/PDF/BPC-US-2018-WEB.pdf

Affirm "unlock the water and bring it downtown..."

Interesting that you mentioned the Wakefield Buick space. Running through my mind is that the creek could form a town (mini-) lake which might have an impressive water feature (with changeable lights) surrounded by parklike features. Like all your other wishes.

Is there any news/update on getting a Mast Store or equivalent downtown?