Too late to save downtown Drexel's business district?

Branch has made it his mission to set an example for what can be done with the aging and empty storefronts on Main Street between Church Street and the railroad tracks in downtown. “Unfortunately, there has been very little long-term vision in planning the downtown,” he said. 

 “It was like shooting fish in a barrel back in the day when the plant (Drexel Furniture Company) was next door,” Branch said of business opportunities in the small municipality.

During the 1960s, upwards of 1,000 people worked at the furniture company or at Drexel Knitting Mill, all within walking distance of the small business district.

 At that time, a drug store, a drapery shop, two grocery stores, a furniture store, a branch of the Burke County Public Library, a bank, the post office, a full-service gas station, and the town’s municipal offices populated the now mostly desolate downtown strip.

 Although the Drexel plant was already closed and awaiting final demolition and brownfield remediation, Branch saw investing in the business district of Drexel’s Main Street as a good idea. 

“I got tired of fussin’ and cussin’ and decided to try to make a difference,” said Branch. “I grew up here and I just wanted to do something. To make it better than I found it.” 

SETTING AN EXAMPLE

In 2008, he purchased a shuttered building at 110 South Main St. as an office space for his business, Phil Branch and Associates. The company started as a contracted over-the-road trucking firm but has since changed its focus to dump truck services within a 50-mile radius of Drexel. 

Branch said his upgraded storefront wasn’t intended to bring in foot traffic. Instead, it was his way of making downtown Drexel more attractive and worth slowing down to see. He had hoped that it would be infectious.

“I think we’re at a 50/50 spot now. Something has gotta happen to keep this area from disappearing. We have almost stagnated growth. We lost our anchor restaurant - the new place isn’t a gathering spot - and without a gathering spot, it is hard to connect with your neighbors and other property owners,” Branch continued.

Branch said several years ago he had considered buying the building at the end of the block that had been a pizza restaurant, but lack of parking changed his plans. The location is now the Corner Cafe and Winery. 

“The town decided to put in a park where a public parking lot used to be. How can you have a restaurant or retail without parking. There’s only a handful of spots along the street,” Branch continued. “It’s shortsighted.” 

“I asked one of the aldermen at the time about the lack of parking and he suggested using the parking lot across the street where the old bank was. That parking lot belongs to the church (Inglesia Christiana Pentecostal Eben-Ezer, Inc.). They let me park there during the week, but it isn’t a solution for retail or restaurant traffic,” said Branch.

Branch said he invested heavily in the downtown because he felt it was the right thing to do but then the town established a Business Incubator Center up the hill across the street from Hallyburton Academy. The area now houses a pregnancy care center, business offices and a floral shop.

According to Branch there were some early success stories from the incubator but over time the subsidized rents and help from the town made it a direct competitor for downtown property owners. Branch said it was another misstep by community leaders. 

But he’s not ready to quit, just yet. 

Branch has repainted his building in crisp white with black trim, added an awning over the windows, and regularly redecorates his store windows.

Currently the windows feature a toy dump truck scene on one side and a patio dinette on the other, representing his business interests. During the holidays, the windows featured festive lights and seasonal displays.

GETTING PEOPLE TO SLOW DOWN

Branch’s beautification efforts have even included caring for the town-owned planters across the street. He has replaced fading holiday plants with small evergreens.

“We’ve become a highway connecting one side of the county to the other.” Even though there is a traffic light, crosswalks, and train tracks at the end of the street, traffic moves fast along Main Street. “If we could slow it down, people might notice the opportunity here.”

Benches in front of Branch’s place invite people to sit and visit a spell and he is often found sitting outside watching the traffic flow. He welcomes the opportunity to chat with folks walking their dogs or out for a bit of fresh air. 

There is no restaurant open during the day, so Branch gets his coffee at the Drexel Barber Shop at the end of the block, dropping in on David Shirley, a barber at the shop since 1964. “The coffee is always hot but never too good,” Shirley laughs. 

The Drexel Barber Shop is the real anchor for downtown Drexel. Started in 1949 by Lawrence Anthony, the shop moved to the corner location in 1964 and has been a gathering spot for musicians and conversations ever since. Lawrence’s son, Carroll Anthony, now owns the shop and keeps the tradition alive. 

Shirley said he cuts about 25 heads a week, but he spends most of his time playing music and visiting with people who drop by. He proudly shares the simple notebook registry of people that have visited over the years. The book includes everything from signatures scribbled in pencil to decoratively signed autographs from people around the world. Everyone is welcome. There’s always coffee and snacks ready for visitors.

IS COMMUNITY FORGOTTEN?

Branch and Shirley agree that the biggest problem for the store fronts at the far end of Main Street, and for that matter the world, is a love of money. “Money is easy,” said Shirley. “Holding on to relationships is hard. People are more focused on getting what they can get rather than being part of the community.”

Branch takes Shirley’s words to heart in his dealings with people as a landlord. Owning smaller rental homes and two mobile home parks, Branch could easily rent for top dollar. But that is not his business philosophy. 

Before he rents a property, Branch meets with potential tenants and makes an effort to get to know them. To find out what they can afford and if they will fit into the community. He looks for people that will care about their homes and the people that become their neighbors. 

“In 16 years of rentals, I’ve only had one significant incident. I have very little turnover because I’ll offer my place at $100 to $150 less than market prices to find the right people for the neighborhood. And I make it right. If repairs are needed, I make them. I’ve even set up a family in a hotel for a week while I got their place fixed,” Branch passionately explained.

“I love giving back to people. No matter what, I owe people a certain amount of respect and that is what is lacking with our property owners,” Branch continued. “Investors buy a building cheap and rent it out without concern for the impact on the community. They simply don’t care what renting to a particular type of business will do to the rest of us - to the community as a whole.”

“The [Drexel] aldermen need to recognize that we have a significant problem that isn’t getting any better,” said Branch. “Drexel needs to figure out how to stop being Drexel the manufacturing town and find what makes it special now. I bought a shuttered building and the first thing I did was to open it back up. It mattered to me.”

“Things like the barber shop bring people together. It is what makes the community attractive to others. We need to foster that small town feel,” said Branch.

Although investors have purchased some of the remaining storefronts with the intent to rent the space, the owners of some of the other buildings are unable or unwilling to repair major problems.

Between Branch and the barber shop, two buildings have visible foundational cracks running for several feet, a very costly repair. It may simply be too late.

“My only other option is to leave. I don’t have a whole lot of ammo left to fire off,” said Branch. “I think we have failed as a community.”

Pam Walker is the Central Burke reporter for The Paper. She may be reached at 828-443-6103 or at pam@thepaper.media.