N EWS one necessarily knows the answer to, is: How much is too much of a good thing?
keepers continue to foster community dialogue and bolster one another’s businesses. The TDA, Carden maintains, deserves some of the credit for this cooperative mindset. Citing her organization’s ongoing efforts to connect local business owners, primarily through guided tours led by members of her staff, Carden sums up the logic this way: “If I don’t know about your industry, how can I send people your way?”
SEEING IS BELIEVING For now, at least, Main Street business owners seem cautiously optimistic about Hendersonville’s future development and growth. To them, the downtown’s quaint feel seems sustainable as long as shop-
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MUST LOVE DOGS: Wag! A Unique Pet Boutique specializes in dog and cat foods, treats, accessories and toys. But enthusiastic pet owners, says proprietor Caroline Gunther, have brought all sorts of animals to her shop. “We have seen monkeys, rats, turtles, gerbils, guinea pigs, a pony, a horse and a goat,” she says. Photo courtesy of Wag! For many downtown shop owners, though, including more recent arrivals, cooperation just seems to come naturally. In May 2018, Morgan
North Futrell opened Moonshine and Magnolias, a home decor boutique. Before the official launch, she welcomed fellow Main Street merchants to a private soft opening. “We invited them to see what we were carrying,” she explains. “I think that was important, so they knew we weren’t trying to compete with them — that we were just bringing another element to the downtown area.” For her part, Earnest believes this is a defining trait among Main Street businesses. “We’re a good group,” she says. “There is not competition, really, because everybody has their own little niche that they do. So it’s all good.” Enthusiasm is also widespread among shop owners and visitors alike. At Wag!, Gunther shares a recent exchange she had with a German tourist. The man was wandering around downtown early one morning, photographing its historic structures. Gunther, meanwhile, was sitting outside her shop enjoying a morning cup of coffee. The two struck up a conversation, and she learned that he’d photographed small towns across America. As Gunther sipped and the man continued snapping pictures, he turned to her and said that in 25 years of pursuing his hobby, he’d never been to a town as good as this one. After taking a few more shots, the tourist asked, “How is this town so wonderful?” Gunther considered the question and then said: “You know, I don’t know. It just really is.” X
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