GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — On Thursday night, the President & CEO of Downtown Greensboro Incorporated Zack Matheny bragged about how the heart of the city has come a long way.
In 2023, downtown Greensboro received more than 8.5 million visitors. 23 businesses have also been added, including 13 restaurants.
A sight Chris Eaton, a member of this city symphony and 10-year resident is glad to witness.
“I would love to see all these circle areas protected and renovated in a lot of cases, but I think it’s going in the right direction,” Eaton said.
The downtown area still has its fair share of empty storefronts.
Business owners like Andrea Jung are doing their part to keep the area up and running.
In 2013, she purchased the Cadillac Service Garage off Market St. when it was an eyesore, now it’s one of the city’s most well-known venues.
“And kept the really cool characteristics of the building. Took out what didn’t need to be here for a venue and rebuilt all real materials as if it would’ve been built in 1921,” Jung said.
Though Downtown has a lot of offers right now, Matheny says there’s a lot for people to look forward to.
“We do have exciting plans such as the NC Rail purchase of the Southern Railway Building that has been empty for 20 years. We’re filling up those empty storefronts, so that’s very exciting for us and everybody else,” Matheny said.
Matheny also acknowledged many homeless people congregate downtown and he says his organization is working on ways to provide resources for people in need.
