Downtown Design Tips

Why does F-V Downtown care about what downtown "looks like"? Because it is part of our job as the NC Main Street administrators. Downtown Design Tips is a blog created by FVDA's Executive Director, Naomi Riley as a way for us all to look at opportunities in our historic core to create a great sense of style and place. It is an exciting time in Fuquay-Varina!

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POP! Fuquay-Varina Downtown

  Photo above ~ Selfies At the Spring Entry

           Fuquay-Varina Downtown Embraces History and Art 

Long time residents of Fuquay-Varina know of the town’s historic stories.   Recognized as a community that embraces and protects its history, newcomers quickly learn about the days of Fuquay-Varina’s booming tourist attraction as people traveled to Fuquay-Varina’s Mineral Spring to “take the waters” with hopes to be healed.   The Spring was discovered around 1858 when Stephen Fuquay was plowing his fields in what is now downtown Fuquay. The Mineral Spring soon became a focal point of the town. Today a picturesque park surrounds the Spring and nearby you can see several historic buildings, which were originally built as accommodations for people who traveled to “take the waters”. 

Fuquay-Varina Downtown, who manages the NC Main Street Program works to protect the community’s history while maintaining a thriving historic district for today’s citizens and businesses alike. 

Photo above ~ Artistic Expression's Installation @ Edward Jones (photo credit, James Spidle)

History meets art … Fuquay-Varina Downtown and Open Art Society partnered to produce Pop! Fuquay-Varina Downtown, a series of storefront window installations by artists from around the Triangle.  The theme “water” challenged each artist to develop art installations that would be unique and interesting and yet serve as a conduit to Fuquay-Varina’s history. 

Naomi Riley, Executive Director of Fuquay-Varina Downtown stated, “I am pleased with our first art series that allowed area artists to learn more about our town’s history and to deliver their interpretation of the theme “water” to our community.  By working with the Fuquay-Varina’s Museums and Shirley Simmons artists were able to see one of our incredible attributes, the Museums of Fuquay-Varina and learn about the foundation of our wonderful community.” 

Jessica Moore, Executive Director of Open Art Society added. “You never know what shape a project like this will take. It's pretty collaborative and a successful project requires the involvement of local artists and engagement with downtown stakeholders. This is the largest group of artists I've worked with - 28 artists worked on installations for 10 windows, and 20 of the artists were based in Fuquay-Varina. The building and business owners were welcoming, contributing their time, space, and support to the project. It's a wonderful thing to see the arts so readily welcomed into a community.” 

Shirley Simmons of the Museums of Fuquay- Varina spoke about the value of the project, "Anytime we can educate others about the wonderful past of our town, we have helped preserve our history for posterity.  The FUN of History comes when we "SHARE" it."

On October 10, 2015 more than forty art enthusiasts gathered at Fuquay-Varina Mineral Spring Park in order to take part in a walking tour of each art installation.   Open Art Society organized the tour which permitted each artist to talk about their project and the process.  They also took questions from the tour participants.  Fuquay-Varina Downtown then held an artist reception for the artists and tour guests at Draft Line Brewery where winners of the series were announced.   This series of POP! Fuquay-Varina will continue in downtown Fuquay-Varina until mid November. 

JR Butler, above took highest recognition for his “Fountain Head” installation at 101 N Main Street. Located at the corner of Main and Academy, the windows of this former mattress store now host larger than life raindrops, frozen in mid-air.   Using layers of packing tape JR was able to create a whimsical storefront for passers-by to enjoy. JR Butler is a Siler City-based artist who works across a variety of mediums. He is a member of Siler City's NC Arts Incubator and a Wingnut artist, a Siler City art collective.  

Above, Fuquay-Varina’s very own Shirley Hunsberger received 2nd place for her use of mixed media elements at Magnolia House located at 218 S Main Street.  Shirley extended the flowing water and sun-dappled shadows of her painting Tranquility to fill the window at Magnolia House. Hunsberger is a self-taught painter, as well as the owner and primary framer at Magnolia House. She is involved with the Fuquay-Varina Arts Council and was a winning artist in Fuquay-Varina Downtown’s 2012 En Plein Air paint-off. 

Above, Helen Seebold & Erin Lawler rallied for 3rd place for their “Selfies at the Spring” a community photo album located at the former Elliott’s Pharmacy, 202 S Main Street.  The community was invited to take their picture at the Spring and share it online by tagging the photo #selfiesatthespring or @selfiesatthespring. The artists printed and displayed the shared photos in the windows of Elliott's Pharmacy. Helen Seebold and Erin Lawler frequently collaborate on participatory community projects. In 2013, they launched the ongoing Message in a Bottle series, which has been displayed in Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary. 

Other notable installations include:  

Artistic Expressions located at Edward Jones, 502 E Broad Street ~ Water: Healing, Nurturing, Transforming 

Roger Person at 110 N Main St - Fuquay Spring Showers  

Lee Moore Crawford at Family Optical, 504 Broad Street ~ Healing the Waters  

John Suteu at 124 S Main St. ~ The Beginning, miniature scene from the Spring as it was in the early days following Stephen Fuquay’s discovery.  

Pinkie Strother at Jazzercise, 134 S Main St. ~ A Look Into the Well  

Fuquay-Varina High School Students w/ teacher Blair Hale at Diane Kristan Salon, 508 Broad St.~ Waters flowing into the tree of life.  

Nancy Young at Stars Theater ~ Fuquay Avenue ~ the poem "Taking the Waters."  

Winning artist, JR Butler summed up the project by stating, “I was so glad to have been chosen to decorate a window in Fuquay-Varina. I loved the idea of using local history, in this case the Fuquay Mineral Spring to inspire the work for this project and make a connection between artists and the community. For me, this was a great opportunity to meet so many wonderful people from Fuquay-Varina, some of whom have come out to visit the arts community in Siler City where I have my studio. I think this type of cross pollination provides an excellent opportunity for the growth of both artists and communities.”

Look for more art installations like this to POP! Up in downtown Fuquay-Varina in the future.    

About Open Art Society

Open Art Society is a hub for artists, communities, citizens and governments to create projects that open dialogue, add vibrancy and embrace the arts as a cornerstone of our communities. We seek alternative avenues to create and fund participatory and engaging artistic projects in the Triangle and surrounding regions. Art is an open platform for discussing and reframing new ideas and problems in our communities — Open Art Society projects provide people with ways to engage with the issues that shape the places we live. To learn more, visit www.openartsociety.org 

About the Museums of Fuquay-Varina

Located at 131 South Fuquay Avenue, The Fuquay-Varina Museums Complex consists of three museums: The First Fuquay Post Office, the "Squire" Ballentine Schoolhouse, and the Centennial Museum.   Known for its extensive offerings of historic artifacts, The Fuquay-Varina Museums have become well traveled by school groups and history enthusiasts.  Docents are on duty to provide tours on Wednesdays from 1pm to 4pm and on festival days from 10 am to 4p.   Group or special tours may be arranged by appointment by visiting www.fuquay-varina-museums.org and filling out the contact form.

To learn more about POP! F-V Downtown, click the link below.

http://www.fuquay-varinadowntown.com/news/108-pop-fuquay-varina-downtown.html

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Caught them "Looking GOOD!"

Are you a half empty or a half full person?  If you are half empty I encourage you to come over to the "happy side".   You see, if we spend all our time looking at what is good with life instead of looking at what is wrong in life we all will see great change in ourselves and in our community!

This week I decided to take a stroll around downtown with my camera. The "mission" ... catch some of our downtown property owners and citizens "Looking GOOD!".   A big part of the National Main Street Program is to ENCOURAGE getting Main Street into top physical shape and creating a safe, inviting environment for shoppers, workers, and visitors.

During my walk here are just a FEW examples of great design in our downtown and one special photo below that made me stop the car and find out what was going on!

Enjoy ... it's all about being 1/2 full!

Naomi's Photo Journey:

While heading to set up for Downtown Bounty I had to stop and park my car to find out what this group of men were doing in downtown!  Below are members of The Golden Star Masonic Lodge 150.  This group does a quarterly sweep in downtown to help keep our community clean!   The man on the left, Thurman Leach went to FVHS with me.  GREAT football player and now being a GREAT role model in FV!  Thank you Golden Star Masons!!!!

Below, LInda Johnson of Senter Stephenson and Johnson hires Nelsa Cox of The Garden Hut to keep her window boxes looking incredible ALL YEAR LONG!

Below, Kim of K'n'B's creates a beautiful display for fall using an old bike and beautiful mum.  

Beth of Merle Norman recently added a new awning that tastefully gives color to her building!

Below, Stacey and Kenneth at Colonial Barber always have a beautiful and fun window display!

Below, Tami at Ashworth's clothing works her magic to draw customers into their wonderful store.

Below, Kristie of Shoppes on Main makes certain that flowers are always planted and the chalkboard is full of great news!  Scott recently added outdoor speakers .... have you heard the music on the street?!

Below, Donna at Flowers on Broad displays plants in VERY creative ways ... much like her flower arrangements inside the shop!

Below, Gina with CupCake Bite shows what a little bit of color can do.  Who would NOT want to go into a store like this?

Below, Heather of Family Optical shows how an "awning with a twist" can help your business stand out.

Below, the Town of Fuquay-Varina didn't go the "bare minimum" route.  Instead they added flag poles and benches to their new town parking lot.  The extra details make people notice!

Below, Fidelity Bank always has a beautiful entrance!

Below, First Bank brings in a BEAUTIFUL and tastefully made sign that gets them noticed!   Their landscaping is over the top!

Below New Bridge Bank ALWAYS has the most flowers of any downtown business that I know.   The extra effort of fresh annual color shows that the bank cares about their appearance in the community.

Below, First United Methodist on Main Street recently added flag poles to the front of the church.  As people drive along Main Street, this addition sends a great message to us all.  What a great community, state and nation that we all live in!

Thanks to all the people above for helping to keep our downtown "Looking GOOD!".   Until the next camera stroll ....

Naomi

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Golden Star Masonic Lodge 150 "caught" doing great things in their community!  Thanks for helping us keep downtown clean!

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Storefronts that draw people INSIDE

Yesterday I hit the streets in downtown, Fuquay-Varina to watch our Pop Up Art installations unfold. While speaking to a friend along the sidewalk my eye was drawn to a store. It caught my attention so much that it made me stop the conversation to say, "Look at that!". 

We walked across the street to check it out. As we stood there I started seeing others as they were walking towards us and I watched their eye. (consumer behavior brings out the "figure it out" geek in me) They also had the same reaction that I did. They were drawn and I heard one say, "Let's check this out".

Fuquay-Varina Downtown, the Fuquay-Varina Garden Club and the local downtown businesses have worked as a team to bring a beautiful pallet of color to our streets. The planters are the perfect backdrop for the downtown business owners to merchandise their wares in a creative manner.

Destination marketing experts stress the importance of having product on the sidewalk. Not cluttered, we are having a yard sale kind of way, but tastefully placed where your very best wares will draw the customer in. Terry at Ritas Decor and More has done a FANTASTIC job doing what these experts stress. She tastefully displayed items that made us stop and EVEN CROSS THE STREET! I'd say she is doing all the proper things to bring people inside her store. 

To learn more creative ways to draw customers to your storefront, http://www.verticalresponse.com/blog/3-easy-and-cheap-storefront-marketing-tactics/

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Are we missing some opportunities for "Gathering Spaces?"

Recently planners have started looking at creative ways to create "gathering spaces" within a downtown's footprint. Gathering spaces and the need for them is driven mostly by an age group that is a growing demographic for Fuquay-Varina .... young professionals and young families.

Fuquay-Varina is a great location for this age group because of our housing prices AND we have what this group looks for... a vibrant downtown with coffee shops, restaurants, brewery's, parks, community feel, etc.

Our downtown has opportunities to look at gathering spaces in a way not really realized in Wake County yet. As a result of ADA requirements and how our downtown buildings are positioned there are very little opportunities to have a lot of gathering spaces on our sidewalks, in a traditional sense. If you put a table here, a wheel chair has to be able to pass through here. If you put a table here, you must have xyz clearance from the flow of traffic.

So COULD we consider "parklets" on some of our side streets as a way to creatively meet the needs of our community? Would this be a function that would attract people to downtown?

The answer is never a simple yes or no. But one thing is certain, Fuquay-Varina Downtown's role is to work with the town to consider some "outside the box" solutions to continue building a better downtown.

Parklets? I don't know... I think they might be cool!

What are your thoughts?

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4 Reasons your Storefront is Scaring Customers Away

As we move into the end of summer .... Let's all do our quarterly "check" to make sure we are looking at our exteriors from a "customer's perspective".

FVDA has volunteer designers that we can call on if you would like for us to come in and give you some ideas on how to make your storefront a "wow" front.   It is OK to say ... it is just not my thing!  We are here to help you!!!

Naomi

Common Storefront Marketing Mistakes

It’s overwhelming. Take a look at the photo below. I recently took a trip to California and I was amazed at how many shops looked just like this one. Talk about overwhelming! There are so many pictures, banners, and words that you can’t figure out where to focus your attention. The people driving by your store only have a few seconds to receive the message you’re trying to send them. If it takes them a good 20 seconds to read all the different signs on your storefront, you’re too late! They’ve already driven past and directed their attention elsewhere.

It’s too dark. A dark storefront is never inviting. It can actually be a little scary and intimidating. If people can’t see inside your place of business, they’re going to start wondering what exactly goes on in there. Plus, people will often mistake you for being closed.

It’s dirty. Too often I see storefronts with dead bugs and cobwebs in the windows. Once people see this they’ll automatically assume that the rest of your store is just as dirty. Dirty, streaky windows can also be a big turn-off to people, as well as overflowing trash cans. It doesn’t take much time or effort to keep your storefront clean. The payoff is well worth it in the end!

It’s confusing. Your storefront may be confusing if it’s too cluttered or doesn’t indicate to passersby exactly what you sell. If I can’t figure out who you are or what you do from your storefront, there’s a very good chance that I’ll never lay a foot in your store. You need to provide clear signs and symbols that clearly indicate what you have to offer the customer.

A welcoming storefront is one that invites people in all while telling your story. You can keep your storefront fresh by updating signage and displays periodically and maintaining clean windows. The more effort you put into improving your storefront, the more customers you’re bound to attract.

(photo by Naomi Riley ~ Goldsboro, NC visit)

This tip was provided by

http://www.smithjohnsonmarketing.com/

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Design: The Main Street Approach

                  Design means getting Main Street into top physical shape and creating a safe, inviting environment for shoppers, workers, and visitors. It takes advantage of the visual opportunities inherent in a commercial district by directing attention to all of its physical elements: public and private buildings, storefronts, signs, public spaces, parking areas, street furniture, public art, landscaping, merchandising, window displays, and promotional materials. An appealing atmosphere, created through attention to all of these visual elements, conveys a positive message about the commercial district and what it has to offer. Design activities also include instilling good maintenance practices in the commercial district, enhancing the district's physical appearance through the rehabilitation of historic buildings, encouraging appropriate new construction, developing sensitive design management systems, educating business and property owners about design quality, and long-term planning.