The recession perception
Upstate businesses look for creative ways to cope with consumer mood
The Open Book may have to cut back its hours and restrict its advertising – a result of chatter that a nationwide recession may be on its way.
“We’re down from last year and last year wasn’t great,” says Duff Bruce, owner of the 36-year-old bookstore.
This Greenville business isn’t the only one in the Upstate having to revise its practices in order to cope with the economic crunch. Retailers and restaurants are trying to come up with fresh ideas.
Sullivan’s Metropolitan Grill in Anderson seems to be grabbing the attention of its customers with a “Recession Menu” – a group of discounted, al la carte items. READ MORE
BMW Charity Pro-Am hopes viewers are ‘blown away’
Upstate group buys TV time to promote area
An attempt to retain television coverage of a local golf tournament has turned into an indefinite campaign to promote the Upstate.
“I was blown away” is the tagline for a $450,000 campaign created jointly by Erwin-Penland, the Upstate Alliance and S.C. Charities Inc. The campaign centers on personal testimonies of individuals who have moved to or visited the Upstate and fallen in love with the area. The idea is to raise awareness of the Upstate and dispel notions and stereotypes of what people might think.
“This campaign really speaks to recruiting talent to the area,” says Jennifer Noel, vice president of marketing with Upstate Alliance. “It speaks to the emotion people feel when they experience the Upstate for the first time.”
S.C. Charities board members Bobby Hitt and Irv Welling wanted to ensure the BMW Charity Pro-Am golf tournament continued to be broadcast live by the Golf Channel. The tournament, set for May 15-18, raises funds for S.C. Charities. Hitt and Welling assembled a group of business leaders in Greenville and Spartanburg to raise money to subsidize the broadcast, intending to decide what to do with the TV commercials that came along with the coverage later. READ MORE
Off the beaten path
Ten surprising Upstate tourist spots
The Upstate is intent on increasing its share of tourism industry dollars, but where is there for a visitor to go, besides the obvious (downtown)?
GSABUSINESS spoke with tourism experts and found some interesting places that attract out-of-town visitors – some of which you may not be familiar with.
Fred W. Symmes Chapel, northern Greenville County
If you’re looking for a pretty place in the Upstate, try the outdoor chapel at YMCA Camp Greenville.
On the border of South Carolina and North Carolina, the chapel, known as Pretty Place, was built in 1941 and was donated by Symmes for the enjoyment of the boys and girls who camp there each summer.
“Pretty Place is a peaceful, hidden gem,” says Lauren Posta, marketing manager for the Greenville Convention & Visitors Bureau. “It has spectacular views of Standing Stone Mountain.” READ MORE
SECONDARY STORIES
Trends pressure big retail projects
Upstate developers wait out market slowdown
Francis B. Allgood, Managing Editor
With an uncertain economy, retailers nationwide are putting the brakes on store expansions. As chains cut back, will the Upstate fare better than national trends?
Many local real estate agents and developers are hoping something good comes out of Las Vegas when RECon, a global retail convention sponsored by the International Council of Shopping Centers, convenes May 18-21.
“That is always a pretty good indication of what may be coming and what to expect for 2008 or 2009,” says Rick Richardson, vice president of operations for Harper Corp.
According to Heather Jones, executive director of Anderson County Economic Development, there’s about $300 million of capital investment in the pipeline. SUBSCRIBE
GSP feels airlines’ gas pains
Passenger traffic flat as merger impact looms
Richard Breen, Editor
Passenger traffic is flat at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport and things don’t look to get better based on current travel trends and upcoming airline mergers.
GSP is up by 0.28 percent in the first quarter of this year, well below historical trends for the airport. Major airlines have been raising ticket prices and cutting flights to deal with record fuel prices.
“With the increased cost of fuel, airlines are having a very difficult time,” says Gary Jackson, executive director of the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport Commission. “We’re going to see some negative figures, I think, each month.”
In 2007, traffic at GSP grew by 1.7 percent while U.S. air traffic grew by 3.3 percent. The federal Department of Transportation no longer ranks GSP among its top 100 U.S. airports. SUBSCRIBE
A buyer’s market?
Realtors, homebuilders launch ad campaign
Elizabeth Morrisey, Staff Writer
Everyone was telling Elena Lee that this is the time to buy a home.
And Lee listened.
She recently purchased a two-story home in Greenville’s Half Mile Lake subdivision after moving from Philadelphia and noticed how low the interest rates and prices are compared to up North.
“The interest rate changed three times and the last one was the lowest,” says Lee, who teaches art at North Greenville University. “It was the right time to buy.”
Local Realtors and builders say the Upstate real estate market isn’t suffering as badly as the rest of the country and they want to make sure everyone knows it.
They have launched Buy Now, a campaign that is using local media outlets to promote the market in Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson. SUBSCRIBE
COLUMNISTS
 Money Matters: Dave Says
Fund Roths or pay off debt?
We have about $8,000 in car loan debt. Despite this, I’d like to go ahead and fully-fund our Roth IRAs. Time equals money, you know? My wife, however, thinks we should pay off the debt first. The fact is we can have either one done by December. What do you think? READ MORE
Life of a Salesman
Which way do I go to find success?
It’s amazing how many e-mails I get from people telling me that I can be a success if I just do it their way and pay them a bunch of money. The reason these people succeed with “do it my way” ideas is that most unsuccessful people don’t have the confidence to do it on their own, or they have no game plan to do it on their own. “Well, if that guy did it, maybe I can do it.” READ MORE
Funny Business
Buy local first, unless it’s crap
I shouldn’t answer my phone. But I’m an idiot. So sometimes I do.
“Mr. Krause, we would like to invite you and your company to join Local First!”
Now the first thing you need to know is that whenever you write Local First!, you have to add in the exclamation point. It’s part of their name. They’ve got it trademarked and everything. So I guess I should write it as Local First!™
Seriously, the exclamation point is bad enough. READ MORE
SPOTLIGHT
 Hurst offers hope
Administrator seeks managed growth for Pickens County
If you are one of those people who thinks government doesn’t affect you, let J. Chappell “Chap” Hurst Jr. tell you his story of the rainy night his Porsche crashed in Chesterfield County.
His wife had passed out. He was caught with his legs through the sunroof, his ribs were crushed and fuel injector cleaner was leaking all over his body. A volunteer rescue squad came and tried to help.
“You’re killing me!” he screamed as they lifted the car up. “Stop!”
About that time a highly trained, rapid response unit from neighboring Lancaster County showed up. Hurst just happened to be county administrator in Lancaster where, two years prior, had created the team and had it trained and equipped. They were able to cut the car away from his body and get the Hursts quickly to intensive care.
“When you ask me, why do I love this job, I know that something I did, and that Council approved, saved the lives of my wife and I that night,” Hurst said. “I can see where the things government does make a difference in people’s lives. I’ve experienced it.”
In 2006, Hurst moved from his position in Lancaster to become administrator for Pickens County, where he has big plans for economic development that will revitalize spirits without changing the community’s integrity. READ MORE
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