32 minute read
Haywood property revaluation to be presented Nov. 2
BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER
After more than a year of work, Haywood County’s property revaluation process is nearly complete and will be presented during a forthcoming public hearing.
The largest single source of revenue for most local governments is property taxes. Those are generated by multiplying the tax rate, usually expressed in cents per $100 valuation, by the value of the property, which is set by the assessor’s office.
Revenues rise and fall when commissioners raise or lower tax rates, or when property values rise or decline. It’s the revaluation process that determines the rise or decline in property values.
In 2017, a similar revaluation produced disappointing results, suggesting that the region still hadn’t fully recovered from the real estate-based Great Recession of 2008. Property values were largely flat throughout the county and in each of its municipalities.
That’s a problem for local governments because labor, materials and other nonfixed costs increase every year. If property values don’t keep pace, governments have little choice but to cut services or raise taxes.
Back in February, Haywood County Commission Chairman Kevin Ensley told The Smoky Mountain News that he’d heard
Town Manager Robert Hites announced that he has appointed Jesse D. Fowler as Waynesville’s Assistant Town Manager. Fowler is currently serving as a Planner for the Town.
Fowler has a background in town planning, Information Technology, CADD modeling software, and ArcGIS mapping software. He has a double major in Political Science and Philosophy and a Master’s in Public Administration from Western Carolina University. While in the Development Services Department, Fowler worked as a staff member with the Comprehensive Land Use Plan Steering Committee, reviewed site plans, managed the department’s GIS data, worked with Code Enforcement, and presented policies to the Planning Board and Board of Aldermen. He assisted the manager’s office in maintaining the audio-visual equipment in the Board room and held citizen meetings on planning and recreational projects. He currently serves as vice president of Haywood Waterways Association.
“The Town is fortunate to have retained an employee with IT and Development Services skills in a time when a number of hardware components need replacement. The Town has recently approved its fifteenyear Comprehensive Land use plan and is the county could be in line for big gains this time around — as much as 20 percent. Judy Hickman, Haywood County’s tax assessor, confirmed that on Oct. 20.
“We’re generally looking at 20 to 25 percent increases in value,” Hickman said.
That would leave local governments more leeway in crafting COVID-hobbled budgets for the fiscal year beginning on July 1, 2021. If property values do indeed rise, local governments will collect more money without having to raise the tax rate. They could elect to spend that money, or cut the tax rate to bring collections back down closer to the current level.
Property owners won’t find out until a letter hits their mailboxes sometime between February and April what their specific valuations are.
Jimmy Tanner, president of Tanner Valuation, told commissioners on Oct. 19 that the customary appeals period — during which property owners may dispute the values arising from the revaluation process — would feature an online dispute form, due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.
The revaluation public hearing will be held 9 a.m. Monday, Nov. 2, in the Haywood County Historic Courthouse. More information on the process is available at www.haywoodcountync.gov/709/2021-
Waynesville hires new assistant manager
schedule-of-values. moving to draft a new ordinance that places the plan into action. He will coordinate the flow of agenda items with the Town’s
Jesse Fowler
departments. We look forward to his leadership as the Town updates and improves many of its policies and practices” said Hites.
Fowler replaces Amie Owens, who announced her resignation a couple of months ago to take a similar position in Virginia.
A PROVEN record
We Can Trust.
VOTE Tuesday Nov. 3rd
paid for by the candidate
Kevin got millions in broadband expansion money to WNC Kevin got millions in additional funding for our schools Kevin was a leader on the Covid Response Task Force for NC
EXPERIENCE THAT LISTENS!
5th Generation Jackson County Family Genuine Stewardship of the Environment and Community Being Proactive rather than Reactive with Growth
Mark Jones for Jackson County Commissioner 828-743-9553 markjelect@yahoo.com
MARK JONES COUNTY COMMISSIONER PAID FOR BY THE CANDIDATE
BY BOYD ALLSBROOK CONTRIBUTING WRITER
When the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns hit Haywood County in March, business owners braced for the worst. Some closed their doors forever, while others scrambled for ways to reopen under the new normal. Months later, local entrepreneurs were able to give a retrospective on how they survived and changed with the times.
Dave Angel, owner of Maggie Valley’s Elevated Mountain Distillery spoke about how he’s adjusted from the early days.
“We thought we were going to shut down in March. I had no doubt we were going under,” he said. Angel cited creativity and openness to unorthodox ventures as Elevated Mountain’s salvation.
“We were able to make hand sanitizer in those early months, which we still make. We have several major customers in the hand sanitizer business. That has definitely been a key thing for us. Honestly, we still need that revenue,” said Angel.
The distillery has also expanded into hosting COVID-safe live music events to fill the desperate need for entertainment beyond Netflix.
“We have live music three to four nights a week. Keeping in compliance comes with challenges but we were able to work those out. We were outdoors all summer and early fall; with the new restrictions we were able to move back indoors,” said Angel. “We’re supposed to stay under 100 people, which we can manage. People are good about wearing masks — I think they’re getting the message that to open up the economy we have to follow some rules.”
Though Elevated Mountain was hoping to get in on the live music scene pre-COVID, the pandemic spurred the process on and sparked Angel’s plan for it becoming a major music venue.
“We were planning on doing music before, but I think we further committed ourselves to it. We didn’t have the lights set up before, we didn’t have as many tables and chairs as we did, but we realized this is a whole market that’s not being met,” Angel said. “We have the best lighting and sound in any venue west of Asheville, and I would put it up against the best in Asheville. We’re making sure that we’re fully tapping into that to create a broader customer base.”
Between hand sanitizer and live music, Elevated Mountain Distillery has not merely survived — they’ve adapted to the times and managed to thrive.
“Our sales have done better than we expected,” said Angel. “You know, day drinking is an acceptable thing now. More people are staying at home — I was afraid that they would go for the cheap stuff, but it turns out, you know, when people wanna drink something, they enjoy something good.”
Cathey Bolton, owner of Corner Station Olive Oil Co. and the adjoining café, Third Bay Filling Station in downtown Waynesville, took advantage of the large outdoor space in
Orchard Coffee moved its bar to the front window to cope with COVID restrictions.
front of her building to combat COVID fears.
“I bought a couple thousand dollars’ worth of outdoor tables and chairs so people could sit outside,” said Bolton. “Because with the café as tiny as it is, you get one person at the counter ordering and you’re within 6 feet of other people. So having this space has been absolutely fantastic.”
Though she’d originally hoped to build this outdoor area into the patio space it is today, the pandemic forced her to act more quickly.
“We had eventually planned on it. We’re still bricking, still working on it, so we’re hoping to have that stuff done. But it was kind of like ‘OK, now we just have to do it, and we’ll be bricking and working on it around our customers.’ So it just happened a lot quicker than I thought it was going to,” Bolton said.
In addition to beautifying the patio, Bolton worked to make Third Bay a viable take-out option.
“We’ve been pushing the idea of people calling in and picking up orders. Obviously, when the businesses were restricted as far as people coming inside, we set it up where people could call in what they wanted, place their order. We’d send them an invoice on email where they could pay right online. Then they’d call us when they got here, and we’d have our gloves and masks on and take it right to their car,” said Bolton, adding, “and we still do that for people who aren’t comfortable!”
Though recent months have been challenging, Bolton says that her business is doing well financially — especially in this tourist season.
“Right now it’s going great,” she said. “I think people are starting to feel more comfortable with coming out and about. The last two weekends during our festivals we’ve had a wonderful amount of people coming in and checking us out. For the fact that we are new, it’s been very busy and we’ve been very blessed.’’
Just up the road from Third Bay, Cabell Tice, owner of Orchard Coffee, recounted how he’s dealt with the pandemic.
“It’s been very interesting to say the least,” he said. “As a business we’ve had to be malleable in ways that I didn’t ever think we would.”
When Orchard closed early in the pandemic, Tice realized that the traditional indoor sit-down model couldn’t work.
“We had to move our whole bar to the front of our store. We wanted to do a takeaway service that was a whole new experience. That was one of the things that allowed us to push through the slow time. We brought everything to the front; we put pastries in the window, we put the bar right up there, and I feel like that was in a way reinventing ourselves,” he said.
This takeaway approach worked well; it was common to see people lined up along the sidewalk outside of Orchard’s new plexiglasscovered bar. Tice cited psychology as the driver of this widespread community support in those hard months.
“There’s something about a simple cup of coffee that makes life feel normal. When we closed, I feel like that was one of the things people realized they were gonna be without — that cup of coffee, that normalcy,” he said. “When we opened back up again, it was almost like a beacon where people felt like ‘OK, we can move forward in whatever changed way we have to, but we can feel normal.’”
“The act of going out feels profoundly normal,” he added. “The act of walking into a café and the transaction at the register can make you feel like things are fine, like the world isn’t upside down.”
In addition to modifying the café experience, Orchard began roasting their own beans right at the pandemic’s beginning.
“It was something we planned on doing for a long time, and then right as we were getting news of COVID, we jumped into that. Ultimately it was a fun way for us to start producing our own coffee and kind of get folks in town a little excited about taking orchard to their house.”
In compliance with lessened restrictions, Orchard is now beginning to return to some semblance of normalcy. The indoor café has reopened, and autumn’s tourist influx has filled its limited seats. “People coming back and getting into the space has also taken some getting used to as well,” said Tice. “Because people have to find their comfort level with COVID and we have way less seating in the café now, and we just do things a little bit differently. But ultimately, it’s giving folks the opportunity to come in, sit down, feel normal. We’re all navigating this together.”
Though October has been a record month for Orchard financially, Tice is still cautious.
“This October has been good for us,” he said. “This whole fall has been great, economically. I don’t think the tourists know that there’s COVID — but it’s like, we have one good month after a string of just six garbage months. So it’s nice to see one month positive, but we have a lot of not good months to look at.”
Ultimately, though, Tice is optimistic about the future of Orchard and the town as a whole. “Last week was the best week we’ve ever had. So I am hopeful, and I believe in the resiliency of our town and the people who come here.”
Struggle and success
Jackson businesses find their place in the post-pandemic world
BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER
Lured by the promise of drivable, socially distanced adventure, visitors from across the region have flocked to Jackson County in record numbers this year.
Room tax collections for June through August stays came in 54 percent higher than for the same period last year, July sales tax numbers are 16.9 percent higher than for July 2019, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has been seeing record-breaking visitation all summer long.
All that tourism has substantially reduced the level of economic pain COVID19 has inflicted on Jackson County, but the relief has not been distributed equally. While some local businesses are pulling in record-breaking revenues, others are struggling to survive.
MAKING IT IN SYLVA
“What I wouldn’t do for a huge outdoor space,” said Jen Pearson, owner of Guadalupe Café in Sylva. “I’m talking with my friends who own businesses, spaces that have a safe place for their customers to eat or drink or whatever, they’re doing OK, even doing well. It’s just the luck of the draw.”
Guadalupe Café has been around for 17 years, and it’s got a prime location on Sylva’s Main Street. But in the newly established rules of the coronavirus economy, it’s got some major disadvantages. Mainly, it has a tiny dining room and, until recently, no outdoor seating. Since the pandemic, Pearson had been able to offer carryout service only along with local groceries. Now that the Town of Sylva has reached an agreement with the N.C. Department of Transportation to convert some downtown parking spots to table space, Guadalupe is able to accommodate dine-in customers once more, though on a smaller scale than it used to. “The summer is typically when we make the most money,” said Pearson. “And so we’re going into the winter deeply in debt instead of with a nice cash reserve.”
Revenues are down 30 to 50 percent since March over 2019 figures. For Pearson, it feels like 17 years of hard work building up the business and bolstering its stability has evaporated overnight.
But at least she’s able to stay open. Such is not the case for Quin Theaters, which has remained shuttered since March. The theater could have reopened at limited capacity Oct. 2 following an executive order from Gov. Roy Cooper, but owner/manager Chris Maney said he doesn’t expect to do so anytime soon. The future is too uncertain.
“It will cost us several thousand dollars to open by the time we buy all new product, retrain staff and stuff like that,” he said. “We’re scared that a month from now they’re going to turn around and, if the numbers go back up, they’re going to shut us back down anyway.”
Besides, said Maney, what movies would he show? Release dates for all the major productions have been postponed. For the time being, Quin Theaters will remain closed.
“We’re in a position to survive, but it has been a very, very hard struggle,” he said.
Other downtown businesses have a more optimistic story to share. At Hollifield Jewelers, Beth Dennis said that, while the store is not posting record sales, revenues have remained strong.
“We’ve done very well, and because Steve (Dennis) is able to do repairs that other people can’t do, that also keeps us going as far as having the foot traffic,” she said.
Chris Wilcox, owner of City Lights Bookstore, said that while sales were down in June and July over 2019, revenues in August and September were up “pretty significantly,” mainly due to a handful of regionally important releases.
“We were so fortunate to have an alignment of big book releases that were super important to us regionally,” he said. “Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, David Joy, Leah Hampton, Ron Rash, Jim Buchanan all had books out within a matter of weeks starting in mid-July through mid-August, and those sales really buoyed us. That was huge.”
However, both Wilcox and Dennis said that much hangs on the outcome of a holiday shopping season that is predicted to rely more heavily than ever on online purchases. Meanwhile, restaurant owners expressed trepidation about what the coming winter might mean for patrons’ willingness to dine outside.
“We do hope and pray that it stays strong through Christmas,” said Dennis. “Because unfortunately, people would probably be surprised at how high a percentage small businesses depend on Christmas.”
So far, the list of businesses that have opened or expanded in Sylva since COVID19 is far longer than the list of businesses that have closed because of it — Jackson County Chamber of Commerce Director Julie Spiro Donaldson said that Leap Frog Tours and Humanité Boutique, are the only two chamber members she is aware of that have closed due to the pandemic though both businesses still have locations outside Sylva. Meanwhile, Southern & Sunkissed has moved into Humanité’s old space, Mountain Flora is moving from N.C. 107 to Main Street, The Mountain Mystic is open on Mill Street, White Moon Coffee Shop has installed a new liquor bar, City Lights Café has installed a takeout window, Balsam Falls Brewery had added an eatery and The Paper Mill plans to become a full-service restau-
Cashiers, where Whiteside Brewing Company is located, has seen an influx of visitors
this summer and fall. Jackson TDA photo
rant and bar. The Table opened in mid-June, Creekside Oyster House in late May and Everything Bagel is set to open soon.
Over in Dillsboro, Rivers and Rails Tavern, Front Street TakeOut and Sweet Magnolias Boutique are all new businesses, and Kostas Family Restaurant has rebranded as Kostas Express Restaurant, operating as a counter service rather than as a full-service establishment.
ON THE PLATEAU
Up in Cashiers, business owners report a busy summer and fall with monthly revenues that have often surpassed those from 2019.
“Business has done very well through the pandemic,” said Glenn Ubertino, owner of Zoller Hardware. “We weren’t sure what was going to happen early on, and I was a little nervous about it back in late March. After a few weeks we were deemed essential, so we could stay open and business never looked back.”
Nationwide, stay-at-home orders and quarantines have prompted heightened demand for the hardware and home improvement supplies that Ubertino’s store sells, and in Cashiers a booming real estate market has accentuated the demand.
“Sales are up really every month since April,” Ubertino said. “I don’t know what the fall and winter will bring but business has been strong, and I look for that to continue as real estate transactions have been very hot up here in this market, so that’s good for our business and all the local businesses really.”
Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce Director Stephanie Edwards said that the chamber added 27 new members in 2020. Slopeside Tavern in Sapphire opened amid the pandemic, as did the Cashiers Valley Smokehouse and Hotel Cashiers. The Business Spot expanded its operations, and the Boys and Girls Club purchased a major parcel with an eye to expand.
The pandemic’s onset caused some trepidation for Daniel Fletcher, who bought the Cashiers Village Inn last year and spent the winter renovating it to reopen this spring as Hotel Cashiers.
“In March COVID hit, and we were shut down,” he said. “And that was right after we spent all the money on renovating.”
Normally, the hotel would have been at 50 or 60 percent occupancy during that time, but for a month it was only allowed to accommodate essential and emergency workers — occupancy sat around 5 percent. It was a scary time, said Fletcher.
But around Memorial Day, people started getting out of the house more and more, and by July things were legitimately busy, exceeding expectations. The business is definitely doing better this October than it did last October, though the comparison is deceptive — Fletcher owned the hotel then but hadn’t yet renovated it. Room rates were lower last year.
“At this point I think local hospitality has pretty much recovered in this area,” he said. “All the other properties are pretty busy. We have a text group so we talk to each other.”
Like Fletcher, Brien Peterkin found himself in the unfortunate position of trying to launch a business in the midst of COVID, opening the Cashiers Valley Smokehouse on Memorial Day weekend. On the one hand, he said, the lower number of customers early on made it easier to onboard staff and get the system down.
“That almost helped us out a little bit, but it was still really hard,” he said. “You’re just not getting that business that you nor-
BY JESSI STONE NEWS EDITOR
During the initial pandemic panic back in March, many merchants in Macon County closed up shop while they tried to reassess all their plans for 2020.
They had a choice to make — stay closed and hope it’s over soon or roll with the punches and try to do their best to adapt to a changing world.
Gwen Taylor, owner of Dusty Pallet Art Gallery and president of the Streets of Franklin Heritage Association, said some of the more seasoned merchants with health concerns and those that rely on volunteers for staffing chose to stay closed throughout the pandemic, but others have remained open and have adapted to a new way of operating.
“It started out slow with COVID and a lot of us had to close down during the initial onset of it, but we’ve gotten very resourceful to stay open,” she said.
One of Macon’s draws is its seasonal festivals and events that bring people to Downtown Franklin, but those events haven’t been able to continue during the pandemic. Taylor said merchants still wanted to be able to welcome visitors to downtown so they started planning special weekend events where they allowed craft vendors to set up their goods along the sidewalks outside of their shops.
“We knew a lot of our craft vendors couldn’t go to their summer and fall festivals, so we opened the sidewalks in front of our stores for them — it turned out well for them and it brings people into the merchants’ stores as well,” she said.
These special weekend events will continue through the end of October. Taylor also said she has a DJ that comes out on the weekend to provide music, and the merchants have worked with the town to make sure the downtown area is well decorated for the season.
“We worked with the town to design the gazebo area and the town employees came out and did a fantastic job decorating. So many people are coming downtown just to take pictures that we normally wouldn’t see so that’s been great,” she said. “We’re looking forward to a good fourth quarter — maybe not as great as it normally would be but we’re planning for Christmas already.”
Mayor Bob Scott said bars and restaurants had been hit the hardest by the pandemic.
“Even our pool hall hasn’t been able to open. It wasn’t the type of pool hall that I hung around in my misspent youth, this is a pretty nice pool hall, and they haven’t been able to reopen, because of restrictions. They have a bar in it,” he said. “Now our breweries seem to be overrun with people. I don’t see much difference in what I used to see before COVID. I found this weekend was absolutely packed with people. Franklin, it was standing room only. Our merchants had some specials going on, and it was just loaded with people.”
Yonder is one restaurant that had to make a major change if they wanted to find a way to stay in business. As the only farm-to-table restaurant in Franklin, owners Hannah and Alan Edwards said the restaurant had high demand with a line to get in every Thursday through Sunday when they were open before COVID-19. Then Gov. Roy Cooper ordered restaurants to close all dining-in service.
“We immediately pivoted to doing a curbside pickup online pre-ordering system for groceries when COVID hit and that went really well. We had about 90 people that participated in that because it was a safe way to
Yonder has pivoted from a farm-to-table restaurant to a fresh market grocery store during
COVID-19. Donated photo
shop and they trusted Alan and I to provide them with high quality products that were local, sustainable and organic,” she said.
In addition to COVID restrictions, the Edwards then lost their rented restaurant space.
“We got kicked out of our space but we decided to keep our online shopping platform going, and then we decided to rehab an older cinderblock building on some land we bought last year so we could have a physical grocery store as well,” she said. “And we hope we can incorporate a restaurant on the property down the road.”
The grocery store located at 151 Hillcrest Drive has been open for two weeks now and is doing well with plenty of open-air space to shop.
“It’s not how we planned our year — we were a very successful restaurant with a lot going for us and we got blindsided by all of this and went through the stages of grief, but in all honestly we hit the ground running to not lose our livelihood,” she said. “We’ve embraced it and we’re thankful for what we do have and we’ll move forward from here.”
Staff Writer Hannah McLeod contributed to this story.
Swain businesses survive, thrive during pandemic
BY JESSI STONE NEWS EDITOR
Swain County’s economy relies heavily on the tourism industry from outdoor recreation businesses to downtown retailers, restaurants and the railroad.
The beginning of the COVID-19 shutdown in March brought a lot of uncertainty to the region as everyone scrambled trying to figure out their next move. Some businesses closed their doors just hoping to save enough money to be able to open back up next year, but others got creative and resourceful to keep their business going.
March was a particularly difficult time for people managing short-term rentals, a huge part of the tourism industry in Swain County.
“The shutdown came down quick and it was a scary time,” Tim Goodwin, owner of Watershed Cabins. “We were writing refunds like crazy because by March we are pretty strongly booked into the summer and we were coming into spring break too where people make a lot of last-minute travel plans.”
Even after all the refunds were made, Goodwin and his staff didn’t have any idea how long the shutdown would drag on or what they should do next. He said they laid off most of the staff so they could start receiving unemployment benefits and went around to their nearly 100 rentals to drain hot tubs, turn off the hot water heaters and disconnect any services they could to try to save money.
“It hadn’t sunken in how bad it was going to get yet. Understandably the local people were extremely fearful of outsiders coming here — they were demanding a shutdown probably more so than my guests were willing to cancel,” Goodwin said.
His hope to be back in business by Memorial Day was realized when the state and the county lifted the bans on short-term rentals. Without even a public announcement, he said the bookings started to come in immediately.
“Our month of May was better than last JACKSON, CONTINUED FROM 7 mally would. But as the summer has gone on, we just kept getting busier and busier, and it’s just kind of stayed steady for us.”
The same goes for Peterkin’s other business, Slab Town Pizza. Some logistics have been difficult — with more people placing to-go orders, for example, it’s been challenging to keep the phone lines open for call-ins
One driver of Peterkin’s success is an asset that Pearson has found herself without down on Main Street Sylva. Both of Peterkin’s restaurants offer ample outdoor seating.
“It’s definitely helped out here,” he said. “You can tell on a rainy day we’re not quite as busy, because people still don’t want to sit inside.”
Another factor is the sheer volume of year. June was way up, July was as strong as it should be and that’s continued,” he said. “September was a huge improvement month that put us over the edge — we were exceeding last year’s numbers. We’re still doing an empty night between all guests and that costs some revenue but the stays have been longer and we’re looking at our best year in the history of the company, which is 20 years old, so we’re very thankful.”
The Great Smoky Mountain Railroad is also an anchor tourist attraction in Swain County year-round, and COVID-19 restrictions definitely impacted the train’s business. Now that the state has moved into Phase 3 of reopening, the train is back up and running and working to hire employees to get prepared for the ever popular Polar Express train rides this November and December. The train riders still have to be socially distanced
— Tim Goodwin, Watershed Cabins
and at 50 percent capacity, which means the demand for tickets will likely be even higher this year. Reserving tickets in advance online is highly recommended.
Darnell Farms, an agri-tourism attraction along the Tuckasegee River outside of Bryson City has also worked hard to adjust and adapt to the COVID way of life. The farm has expanded its produce delivery services to a year-round, weekly subscription service so customers can order online and have their produce delivered to their door, or they can come pick it up at the farm.
And luckily, being a farm has had its benefits through the pandemic. Having a lot of outdoor space to host events will put them at an advantage this fall as families are looking forward to getting out to the pumpkin patch and take a hayride around the farm. But again, demand is high right now so call ahead
— but business has been good.
to make a reservation. people flooding to Cashiers, to live as well as visit. People are buying property in Cashiers, building homes in Cashiers and, in the case of part-time residents, staying longer than they have in the past.
In fact, the flood of newcomers made it hard to get the smokehouse open on time, said Peterkin.
“It was tough to get plumbers and electricians out here,” he said. “Just because a lot of people were coming up to Cashiers from wherever they’re from to escape the big city.”
Now, the town is still hopping, and Peterkin expects to be busy at least up through the new year.
“And then I don’t know what this winter will bring,” he said. “It’ll be interesting to see. We’re planning on being busier than most winters, but it’s kind of hard to predict.”
“Both my wife and I are products of our great public schools and universities, as well as my children. Both of my parents were lifelong teachers right here in these mountains. So I know personally that strong public schools are the backbone of our community” -Joe Sam Queen
In the State House Joe Sam will,
• Work to increase funding for local schools, especially early childhood education • Raise teacher pay and give school staff the resources they need • Improve access to our community colleges allowing everyone to get the workforce training they need • Support our great universities, the engines of a 21st century economy
After a slow summer, demand picks up for fall
BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER
With the economic powerhouse that is Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort surfacing as one of the pandemic era’s most-impacted local businesses, it stands to reason that the future of Cherokee’s business community would be among the region’s most uncertain.
Due to capacity restrictions and social distancing, between June and September the casino welcomed only about 44 percent of the 1 million-plus guests it drew during the same time period last year. And while occupancy rates at its hotel were similar to those recorded last year — more than 99 percent — due to renovations in the Mountain Tower the resort had only 73 percent the number of rooms available that it did last year.
However, Cherokee has another blockbuster attraction at its disposal — the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which in 2019 attracted a grand total of 12.55 million visitors. With COVID-19 restrictions spurring heightened interest in the outdoors, the park is recording another record-breaking year, with June and August visitation proving the highest on record and July the third-highest. While the Oconaluftee entrance accessed through Cherokee has actually posted a decrease in summer visitation over last year — total visitation between June and August was 5.7 percent lower than last year — it still recorded a whopping 796,861 total visits in that time period.
September and October figures are not yet available, but if observations from Cherokee business owners are any guide, they’re likely to reveal even stronger numbers.
“Our season has picked up, especially the fall,” said Natalie Dillard, manager at Rivers Edge Motel. “Business was slow in June, July. However the park is so overpopulated right now we’ve had so much overflow from just traffic.”
Rivers Edge, as well as its sister establishment Econo Lodge of Cherokee, closed completely from March 23 to May 15, missing out on the typical spring break traffic. For the first month or so after reopening the motels were limited to 50 percent capacity at a time when they’d normally be full. Now, they’re back to full capacity and have been booked up throughout October.
“October is a good month for us, and business has definitely improved since June,” said Dillard. “People are starting to come back big time.”
That doesn’t mean that the business isn’t still feeling the effects of the spring closure, or of the ongoing pandemic. Rates are $20 to $30 lower than last year, and stricter sanitation requirements required them to hire additional housekeepers. However, said Dillard, overall the outlook is positive.
“If things continue the way they are improving, we’re not nervous at all for the future,” she said.
Like Dillard, Qualla Arts and Crafts Manager Vicki Cruz said the fall season has been extremely successful.
“Our September beat last September, and our numbers are still up there,” she said. “We always look forward to October because it’s going to be a good month, and this year it’s panning out.”
Overall sales for the year will likely be down from 2019, however. Between March 18 and June 18 the store was taking phone orders only.
“The first day that we opened, that was a little unnerving,” she said. “But after the first day then you’re just back on track.”
Over at Santa’s Land, the normal midMay opening was delayed until the end of June. Since then, all rides have been open with visitors required to wear masks and maintain a 6-foot distance from others. Staff disinfect surfaces between each rider.
“Our summer months were about the same as far as visitation,” said Operations Manager Linda Lyons. “We have seen somewhat of an increase in September and October visitation.”
Kent Cranford, owner of Motion Makers Bicycle Shop, said that his store’s Cherokee outpost has been doing “phenomenally well” and added that it’s helped a lot that the store is co-located with outfitter Fire Mountain Outpost.
While things are looking up for many Cherokee businesses, restaurants are still struggling. The Chefs Stage Buffet at Harrah’s is closed for the time being, as are the Pizza Inn and the Newfound Lodge Buffet.
Granny’s Kitchen, a 36-year-old family business with an eternally popular buffet, remains open but has had a difficult year.
“This year it has been more about keeping all of our employees employed and working, and paying the bills — so not making money,” said Dining Room Manager Lora Branning.
The restaurant closed when the pandemic hit, and when it reopened in May it was filling to-go orders only. The dining room opened at the end of June, but it’s only allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity, a definite handicap for the typically bustling restaurant. In addition, staff must now be available to serve food from the previously self-serve buffet line. Granny’s Kitchen is taking many other precautions to prevent transmission of the virus, and so far none of its staff have tested positive.
“We’re doing all we can,” said Branning.
CBD Questions? Pharmacist Answers.
We carry
Voted #1 in Haywood County
Gracious Friendly Service Fine Resale Consignment
Experience Ellie's Difference CARRYING SIZES 0-4X Stay warm with vests, cardigans, jackets, coats and vintage furs!Dog Friendly! Hours: Monday - Saturday 11-5 & Sunday 12-4 162 N. Main Street r Waynesville r 828-476-5018
828.452.2313 479 Dellwood Road
Waynesville facebook.com/kimspharmacy
Safely dispose your medications at the Bryson City Pharmacy and Swain County Sheriff’s Dept. Medication Disposal Boxes. Pick up your free lock box at the Swain County Health Department
