Taking it to the street

New Main Street director paves way with energy, passion

By Matt Flumerfelt

VALDOSTA — Rebecca Shirley has been getting to know her way around town.

Since becoming Valdosta’s Main Street director at the end of November, Shirley has been meeting Valdosta’s residents and becoming familiar with the city’s institutions.

Here is what Mara Register, assistant to the Valdosta City Manager, had to say about Shirley: “Rebecca comes to the City of Valdosta after serving as staff with one of Georgia’s most innovative Downtown Development Authorities in Dahlonega. She also brings expertise in project development, planning and volunteer coordination with her work at North Georgia College and State University. We are extremely fortunate to have someone of Rebecca’s caliber, passion and energy to lead the Valdosta Main Street program.”

Shirley lives with her grandmother, longtime Valdosta resident Alice Osborn. She said she loves the outdoors, riding bikes and running with Rocco, her Labrador retriever. She said she credits some of her best ideas to long walks with Rocco.

The Valdosta Daily Times asked Shirley questions about what makes downtowns special in general, and Valdosta’s in particular.

VDT: Did you have any prior connection with Valdosta?

Shirley: “My mom grew up here in Valdosta and my grandmother has lived here close to 80 years and she has a lot of great stories about coming down and shopping and things like that.”

VDT: What has your impression been of the downtown merchants and other Valdostans you have met so far?

Shirley: “Everybody I’ve met has been extremely nice and extremely welcoming.”

VDT: How does being Valdosta’s Main Street Director differ from your last job as Better Hometown Director in Dahlonega?

Shirley: “Dahlonega is a beautiful community, just a lot smaller than Valdosta, so the same issues that Valdosta faces — business recruitment and retention, facade upgrades, events — Dahlonega faced those same things as a historic downtown, just on a different scale. It relies a lot on tourism, whereas Valdosta is locally supported. I’d love to tap into a tourism market for Valdosta because there certainly is one.”

VDT: What makes downtowns in general so special?

Shirley: “I’ve always loved downtowns, even as a kid, the architecture and that warm fuzzy feeling it gives you when you arrive and you’re there. Anywhere I go, I want to go into the historic downtown. It feels great because when you leave you remember the downtown. You remember, wow, those buildings. And that’s what sets our downtown and all the downtowns in America apart from the mall or a strip mall.”

VDT: Many cities these days seem to be looking for a gimmick to help them promote and market their downtown businesses. Do you think Doc Holliday or some similar gimmick will end up being what Valdosta is best known for?

Shirley: “Valdosta is a metropolitan city with a lot to offer, so the future of our gimmick, or whatever that may be, is yet to be determined. I think it’s nice to have a figure people can relate to or tell stories about. There are stories about some downtown buildings, like the ClientTell Building, that it was a bath house and that’s where Doc Holliday would go to take baths. Those stories help create that personal connection between the buildings and a human, and will attract a whole different group of people downtown because they connect it with real people.”

VDT: What has to happen to bring more people downtown?

Shirley: “I think it’s essential to change our thought patterns and shopping habits, to make downtown the first thing on our list when we’re thinking of something to do at night. That involves changing people’s perceptions and letting folks know what great shops and restaurants, services and places to live are available here.”

VDT: What can you do as Main Street director to help revitalize the downtown area?

Shirley: “Promote, promote, promote. If nobody knows what’s here, if they don’t know the hours people are open, and they don’t know what services or shops are available, let’s get some advertising out. Let’s have speaking engagements, let’s get on the radio, let’s hand out guides and brochures as to what people can expect downtown.

“One of the first priorities of Ellen Hill, our program coordinator, and I, is to extend our relationships and really build solid community downtown support with the downtown merchants, with the chamber, with (Valdosta State) University. We all have different interests but our ultimate goal is the success of our community. All of our missions parallel each other, so let’s all get around a table, let’s talk about our issues and work together.”

VDT: What is different about the way the current generation sees the downtown versus years ago?

Shirley: “For my parents’ generation, it was ideal to separate things and live in suburbia and shop in these big box shopping centers and that was progress and that was what people thought was moving our country forward. But now days, it’s becoming more evident that what moves our country forward is small businesses.

“Downtowns are becoming such a popular destination in themselves for people. My generation grew up driving to the mall and eating in chain restaurants, so we missed an opportunity to really develop a lot of great memories, and I think now is the time, with downtown revitalization efforts, to attract my age group of people to bring our kids and live and work and play downtown.”

VDT: What incentives are available from the city for people wanting to open a business downtown or help their existing business?

Shirley: “There are quite a few incentives that have been in place for some years. There are low-interest loans from the Downtown Development Revolving Loan Fund and the Georgia Cities Foundation. We have multiple projects in the downtown area that have taken advantage of these two funding sources.

“Also, for many years we have had a package of three different income and property tax incentive programs for building rehabilitation projects for buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. We have a new set of incentives that will be rolled out within the next several months out of the city’s Enterprise and Opportunity Zones. The Enterprise Zone is the first ever incentive put in place for fee and tax abatements for retail-development projects. The Opportunity Zone allows for the job tax credit portion of the incentive package for retail-development projects.”

VDT: What would you tell people who say it’s unsafe to go downtown at night?

Shirley: “I’ve been downtown at night and I personally feel comfortable walking on the sidewalks. My understanding of the crime issues from people who live downtown is that it has decreased to where they feel comfortable, that they have gotten to know all their neighbors and it is a comfortable environment any hour of the day.”

VDT: What about those who say parking downtown is a problem?

Shirley: “The parking problem is a perception issue. For instance, if you go to Publix, you see your ultimate goal, so I could park a mile away and in my head, I would be comfortable because I can see Publix. In a downtown, it’s not set up that way. Generally, you will be closer to your destination parking downtown than parking at the back of a Wal-Mart or a Publix, but you can’t see your goal, so it creates this issue in peoples’ heads that they are too far away from their goal. I do think Valdosta needs some signage to direct people where the parking areas are.”

VDT: What do you like most about your job as Valdosta’s Main Street director?

Shirley: “I love to work with people. I’m required to meet face to face with people on a weekly basis. As Main Street director, that’s my job.

“I also love the fact that we are helping to build the foundation of our downtowns for future generations, something I feel strongly about. We’re helping create a place where people can live, work and play, and to create a self-sustaining community. We’re valuing our history and culture all in one central place. It’s fascinating. It’s a crossroads of the private and public sector, and non-profits — you name it — and they all converge right here.

“As a Main Street director, you help with this awesome thing of revitalizing the downtown and providing the space for someone to come and open a business, to have a new restaurant. You’re providing a space for somebody local to have a dream and to accomplish their dream and their goals. In addition, you’re providing the community with an amazing space to gather.

“There’s something for everyone in a downtown, and it’s exciting to be in the middle of it, and to be involved with such great, passionate people. Downtown people are passionate. They want success in their business, success in their restaurant, success in their properties, and we want that as well.”

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