[acoustic reggae music]
♪
- [Christina] Lenoir is bouncing back from the recession
by reinventing itself.
The city is leaning into it's deep, artistic,
and musical roots,
and rebranding itself as a destination.
I wanted to see how downtown Lenoir
is attracting new businesses,
and promoting it's artists.
So, I met with Charlie Frye, Lenoir native,
and owner of Folk Keeper Gallery and Antiques.
- Well, when I was a kid, this was really and truly
a hub of industry.
We were really well known for the furniture industry,
which is still present in Lenoir,
but I mean, it drove our economy for decades.
One way that I have thought about Lenoir,
since I started being in downtown since 2008,
is that we're really a department store.
Everybody's into going one place,
and getting everything you need.
But we have food, we have entertainment,
we have a bookstore,
and we have several antique stores,
and at our shop has antiques and art,
and everything else,
and, you know, we've got to look at each other as a team,
and the citizens,
and everybody else sort of is part of the team too.
Our town really does a good job at that.
I paint a lot of birds.
They really represent, sort of, freedom to me.
Paint our mountains.
We paint home.
- [Christina] Downtown Lenoir also has more than 80 pieces
of public art lining it's streets in a concept called,
"Tucker's Gallery."
Sculptor, Suzette Bradshaw helped start
the outdoor gallery.
- There has been a big draw because we can advertise,
and talk about market sculptures in downtown Lenoir,
and people can come down and see a concentrated,
and number of sculptures in a small area.
So, it's kind of become a destination.
- There are tons of artists that live here,
musicians, poets, painters, sculptors,
and it's great, tight-knit community.
- Lenoir is recognized for it's vibrant art,
but it's also becoming known for downtown living,
and a tattoo festival.
The Mayor of Lenoir, Joe Gibbons, explained how the city
embraced change in order to grow.
- One of our awards with the Main Street Conference
was our downtown branding,
"Downtown Lenoir, together we create,"
and that's sort of our theme behind what we're trying to do
in our community is together we can create good things.
We kind of were the state champion of Main Street.
We won the most awards of any city.
Some of our festivals that we do,
this one happened to be for the tattoo gathering,
which is a very unique event
that we have here in Lenoir in September in downtown--
- You did not get a tattoo, is that right?
- I did not get a tattoo.
No, I did not. [laughs]
- So, good things are happening in our community,
so that's sort of a rallying thing
that we use for our downtown is to have a great brand.
- [Christina] I think we just found your tattoo.
- You found my tattoo. [laughs]
- [Christina] One of the mayor's favorite restaurants
is Piccolo's,
which serves Chicago-style deep-dish pizza.
The family-owned business runs three locations,
two of which are actually in Chicago.
As a pizza aficionado, I absolutely had to
check out this spot.
- We bought this building in 2000,
and there wasn't a whole lot downtown Lenoir.
Not a whole lot at all.
So, it's changed an awful lot.
Didn't use to be this busy,
and I think it's gettin' busier every day.
- Can you tell about some of this great memorabilia?
I see Bears signs,
and Cubs hats.
- [Denise] Yeah.
- [Christina] Yeah, where'd you get all this stuff?
- [Denise] Everywhere,
and personally, I don't get it.
I just call it "his junk,"
and he likes to have
a lot of stuff. - So, this is all
your husband's fault.
- Yes. - Oh, okay.
- Everything is his fault.
- [Interviewer] In addition to a variety of dining,
Lenoir also has literature,
and it's affordable.
Every single book at Tybrisa Books is only $1.00.
- We try to make it so that everybody can afford to
come in here and pick out a book.
Oddly enough, we didn't spend a lot of time in
downtown Lenoir before we opened the store,
and once we got down here,
we discovered how much there is actually going on
in downtown Lenoir,
and we know now there's no place we'd rather be.
[bluegrass music]
- [Christina] Strolling through downtown Lenoir,
it's possible to be serenaded.
Bob Henson, a musician who works with these young pickers,
shared how Lenoir is preserving it's musical heritage.
- We're listening to Blackberry Jam,
which is part of Caldwell JAM,
and JAM is Junior Appalachian Musicians.
It's a program that teaches traditional Appalachian music,
and traditions, bluegrass and old-time music to young people
so that the tradition's passed on to the next generation.
They are a very amazing group of kids.
They named themselves,
and they perform out.
They do gigs and make money,
and have a really good time.
- [Christina] I got thirsty,
so I headed to the Side Street Pour House and Grill,
which has the largest draft, craft beer selection
in the area.
The restaurant has 44 taps,
and was once a movie theater.
- This kind of environment's what we wanted
to be involved in,
and downtown Lenoir died off for years.
When I was a little kid,
Lenoir downtown was a boomin' place,
but Lenoir downtown itself is reviving,
and the last two or three years have been a big increase.
We've still got a few empty store fronts,
and there's new things comin' to town now
that's, you know, in development.
It's a good place to be.
We get a lot of people comin' here
from upstate South Carolina,
and out of the Charlotte area that are heading up
to the High Country, Boone, Blowing Rock,
and they have learned that we're here,
and they stop here 'cause we have somethin'
a little different.
- [Christina] Another unique option for eating in Lenoir
is Katz Sandwich Company.
It's menu includes gluten-free, dairy-free,
and vegan choices.
It seems that when I walked in here it reminded me
of, like, "Cheers"*,
but a sandwich shop.
So, can you tell me about the sense of community?
How you develop that in the restaurant?
- They did. Like, we didn't develop that,
that's the thing is like when I moved from Florida to here,
it was completely different because Lenoir is just...
It's so cool, it's so welcoming,
and it's so weird to me because everyone always says,
"Why'd you choose Lenoir?"
It's like the going saying,
but I don't know, Lenoir is just amazing,
especially if you have...
I have two boys,
and everyone's community-based.
Like, everyone here, we...
Bryan and Sunny,
and everyone kind of just comes together,
and my little, boogerhead over there...
You can come over here.
He's six going on 35,
but everyone just helps out, you know what I mean?
And it's the best community you could live in, ever.
[acoustic reggae music]
- [Christina] A perfect way to cap off my afternoon
in Lenoir is with a drink at Liquid Roots Brewing Project.
The family-owned business serves beer, wine, cider,
and coffee.
The owners moved from Indiana to start the brewery.
Can you tell me about some of those awesome things
that drew you to Lenoir?
- Just I've seen a lot of good, forward momentum.
I mean, I think there is a lot, just with the proximity
to other big cities,
with Charlotte and Asheville being about an hour,
hour and a half away.
Boone being very close proximity,
and then just being close to the Parkway,
and the mountains and everything like that.
That draws us,
and then just getting to know a lot of the people here
through a few visits leading up to us actually
purchasing the building.
It gave us a lot of confidence in being able to
do what we wanted to do.
This has been about five years in the works,
so just been waiting for the right opportunity,
and this was it.
Bringing people together, having fun,
that's what we enjoy doin',
and we hope to share that with other people as well.
- [Christina] Lenoir's experimenting with
second-floor living.
Charlie Frye showed me his special,
bird's-eye view of downtown.
- We're really just pulling it all together
to where we're a place to go.
- For more information about things to do
in downtown Lenoir,
go to downtownlenoirnc.com.