Henderson County Business
Thirty residents urged the Henderson County Board of Commissioners on Monday to revoke a permit that a county zoning board issued for an event barn in a residential zone off N.C. 191.
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Hendersonville Business
Q. We’ve lost the Hallmark store, K-Mart, Bi-Lo and now JCPenney. Options to spend our dollars in Henderson County keep dwindling. Why can’t we keep big-name retailers?
Add Food Lion and rue21 to the list. I tossed this question to Chamber director Bob Williford, who said that these retailers are experiencing viability problems on a national scale. Williford quickly wheeled off two dozen retail shops that have opened their doors in Henderson County in recent years. Here is a sample from his list plus a couple I added: Dunham’s Sporting Goods, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Shoe Dept. Encore, TJ Maxx, Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts, PetSmart and Hallmark (inside ACE Hardware). Plus, we know Publix, Dollar Tree, and AutoZone are coming.You mentioned two Blue Ridge Mall anchor stores. There may never have been a time since the mall opened in 1983 when all the store fronts were rented. There are legitimate reasons. Many chain stores had franchise rules which required a 30-mile separation, so our initial mall stores were “second tier.” The mall took a big hit in the early 1990s from Biltmore Square mall and there is ongoing competition with a robust Downtown Hendersonville. Also, the mall lacks an easy “back door” vehicle access and it has poor line-of-sight visibility from Four Seasons Boulevard. Finally, we keep building those pesky strip malls and we do like shopping online. Indoor malls are aging out. Folks prefer shopping and dining at town centers like Biltmore Town Park and sitting at home in their jammies cruising the Amazon.
Q. Is there a comprehensive list of 55 and older communities in Henderson County that have homes for sale?
No. There is no such “official” list. First of all, the term “55 and over” refers to the 1995 US Housing for Older Persons Act that defines how a housing community, often condominiums, may market themselves. To be a legitimate older community, 80 percent of the units must have at least one person living there who is older than 55 years of age. Verification of age must be done every two years. Under the law, if one member of the family (not a child) is over 55, the spouse can be younger. So technically, a development can have more than half its residents under 55. That’s a lot of trophy wives (OK, trophy husbands too).As baby boomers age, many developers see an advantage in using the term “55 and over” but some communities that don’t meet HUD’s 80/20 rule use the term “active adult housing” or “senior living” in their marketing. My cursory research of Henderson County yielded only one true 55 and over age restricted community that offered homes for sale — Riverwind subdivision in Etowah. I found two in Asheville (Bella Vista and Crowfields). Although rare, existing condos or subdivisions, can change to a 55-plus community if they possess the legal authority in their covenants.
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Hendersonville Business
Although the name, menu and opening date remain an enduring mystery, the proprietor says he aims to open Hendersonville’s only rooftop restaurant by fall.
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Flat Rock Business
Visitors to Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site spent $4.7 million in communities near the park last year, supporting 76 jobs in the area and boosting the local economy by just over $6 million, a new National Park Service report said.
“The Sandburg Home welcomes visitors from across the country and around the world,” said Acting Superintendent, Steven Kidd. “We are delighted to share the story of this place and the experiences it provides. We also feature the park as a way to introduce our visitors to this part of the country and all that it offers. National park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy, returning more than $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service, and it’s a big factor in our local economy as well. We appreciate the partnership and support of our neighbors and are glad to be able to give back by helping to sustain local communities.”
The Flat Rock attraction drew 80,695 visitors, the report said. The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas of the U.S. Geological Survey and Lynne Koontz of the National Park Service. The report shows $18.4 billion of direct spending by 331 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 318,000 jobs nationally; 271,544 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $ 34.9 billion.According to the 2016 report, most park visitor spending was for lodging (31.2 percent) followed by food and beverages (27.2 percent), gas and oil (11.7 percent), admissions and fees (10.2 percent), souvenirs and other expenses (9.7 percent), local transportation (7.4 percent), and camping fees (2.5%).
Report authors this year produced an interactive tool. Users can explore current year visitor spending, jobs, labor income, value added, and output effects by sector for national, state, and local economies. Users can also view year-by-year trend data. The interactive tool and report are available at the NPS Social Science Program webpage: go.nps.gov/vse. Read Story »
Hendersonville Business
Ingles Markets Inc. opened its Henderson County seventh supermarket on Thursday, establishing a beachhead at ground zero of the south gateway grocery war.
The new store, 26,000 square feet bigger than the 35-year-old store it replaces, is upgraded throughout, offering a deli counter and meat department, flower department, pharmacy, hot bar and other prepared foods and a Gas Express. It includes Starbucks, Chopsticks Asian Express, Boar's Head deli meats and Chef's Pizzeria. Hours are 6 a.m.-11 p.m.
The new Ingles competes with Harris-Teeter across Spartanburg Highway and Fresh Market across Greenville Highway and, in the next couple of years, Hendersonville's first Publix, on Greenville Highway at White Street.
The Black Mountain-based grocer strung pennants between light poles, displayed flats of colorful spring flowers at the front doors and offered goody bags during a grand opening. The parking lot was nearly full although a fair number of the people inside were Ingles executives and managers and suppliers.
Ingles replaced the 46,000-square-foot store, one its oldest ones in Henderson County, with the new 72,000-square-foot store that offers extra features beyond the conventional grocery items.
Ingles operates 201 supermarkets in the South, including 70 in North Carolina, 71 in Georgia, 36 in South Carolina, 21 in Tennessee, two in Virginia and one in Alabama. It operates stores on U.S. 64 East Flat Rock, Spartanburg Highway and Asheville Highway, and in Laurel Park, Mills River, Etowah and Fletcher.
"The company’s strategy is to locate its supermarkets primarily in suburban areas, small towns and neighborhood shopping centers," the corporation said in its latest 10-K form filed with the SEC. "The Company remodels, expands and relocates stores in these communities and builds stores in new locations to retain and grow its customer base with an enhanced 'one stop' product offering while retaining a high level of customer service and convenience. Ingles supermarkets offer customers a wide variety of nationally advertised food products, including grocery, meat and dairy products, produce, frozen foods and other perishables, and non-food products. Non-food products include fuel centers, pharmacies, health and beauty care products and general merchandise. The Company also offers quality private label items. Read Story »
Hendersonville Business
A winter flu outbreak, a substantial gain in surgeries and cost controls propelled Pardee Hospital to a financial rebound from last year’s $13 million loss, administrators said. Read Story »
Green River Business
Ever wonder how much houses are selling for in your neighborhood? Need to know how much vacant land or subdivision lots are selling for? Now you can find out every week in the Hendersonville Lightning.
This week the Lightning started publishing deed transfers from the Henderson County Register of Deeds office. Grouped by township, the deed transfers show addresses, subdivisions, the buyer and seller and the price the buyer paid. The Lightning is the only newspaper in Henderson County publishing the deed transfers from the county.
You have to buy a copy because it's only in print. And it's only in the Lightning! Read Story »
Henderson County Business
ALDI, the fast-growing discount grocery chain, is expanding its Hendersonville store, adding an additional 2,000 square feet of retail floor space to accommodate more produce, dairy and bakery offerings, the company told local media outlets this week.
ALDI vice president Thom Behtz told the Asheville Citizen-Times and WHKP radio that the company will remodel the Duncan Hill Road store this summere, increasing its total sales floor space to 12,065 square feet. At 17,597 total square feet, the ALDI store is less than half the size of the Publix, expected to open on Greenville Highway, and about a third as big as the new Ingles on Spartanburg Highway.
The work here and at ALDI's Asheville store on Patton Avenue comes as part of a $1.6 billion expansion plan nationwide. The German-based grocer plans to expand and remodel more than 1,300 U.S. stores by 2020. Read Story »
Hendersonville Business
You won't want to miss this week’s Hendersonville Lightning.
You will read our scoop about a new Cajun restaurant opening on Fourth Avenue East, stories about the never-ending HHS construction saga, the latest in the water war between Hendersonville and Henderson County and complete coverage of the new ArtScape banners downtown — with photos of all 41 banners! The Lightning introduces our new weekly feature, deed transfers, and becomes the only newspaper in Henderson County running that important public record.
There are also pages and pages of local and business briefs, Easter briefs on Holy Week services and Easter egg hunts, the popular Stuck in the Late Middle by Bill Humleker and Ask Matt by Matt Matteson as well as the weekly TV Guide and Sudoku.
You've got to get a copy because it's only in print and it's only in your Hendersonville Lightning.Here’s where you can pick up a LightningHendersonville• Hendersonville Lightning Office, 1111 Asheville Hwy• Pop's Diner, 5 Points, North Main Street• Triangle Stop, 701 North Main Street• The 500 block of North Main Street(First Citizens Bank / Mast Gen. Store)• Black Bear Coffee Co., Main Street• The 300 block of North Main Street(McFarland's Bakery / Mike's on Main). Pardee Hospital in the lobby. Flat Rock Playhouse, downtown(100 block of South Main Street)Southside Hendersonville(Spartanburg Highway)• Hairstyles by Charlene, Joel Wright Drive• McDonald's, Spartanburg Highway• Norm's Minit Mart, Spartanburg Highway• Hendersonville Co-op• Burger King/BP, Spartanburg HighwayIngles SupermarketSouthside Hendersonville(Greenville Highway)Carolina Ace HardwareWhitley Drug StoreFlat Rock/East Flat Rock• Flat Rock Post Office• Zirconia Post Office• East Flat Rock Post Office• Orr's Family Restaurant, Spartanburg Hwy• Energy Mart Exxon, Upward Road & I-26• Triangle Stop, 754 Upward Road & I-26Village Café and PubPage 2Hendersonville(Kanuga Road)• Hot Dog World, Kanuga Road• Mr. Pete's Market, Kanuga Road• Norm's Minit Mart, Kanuga RoadHendersonville(Fifth Avenue)Hendersonville Post officeFifth Aenue ShellLaurel Park• YMCA H'ville, Sixth Ave & Oak Str• Laurel Park Village, Rite-Aid.• Energy Mart Exxon, Brevard Road at Daniel DriveDixie Diner, Brevard RoadHighway 64(Brevard Road)• Horse Shoe Post Office• Mr. Pete's Market, Etowah, Hwy 64-W• Blue Ridge Pizza, Etowah, Hwy 64-W• Etowah Shopping Center, EtowahHighway 191(Haywood Road)• Joey's New York Bagels, Hwy 191• One-Stop Store #8, Haywood Road (Hwy 191)• Dollar General, Hwy 191 & Mountain RoadMills River• Triangle Stop, 4197 Haywood Road, Mills River• Mills River Family Restaurant. Food LionInglesPage 3Eastside Hendersonville and Four Seasons Boulevard• Norm's Minit Mart, Dana Road• Fatz Cafe, Dana Road & Four Seasons Blvd• Grocery Outlet, off Four Seasons Boulevard• McDonald's, Four Seasons Boulevard• Energy Mart Exxon, Four Seasons BoulevardMustang CafeHighway 64 East(Chimney Rock Highway)• Triangle Stop, 2545 Chimney Rock Road, Hwy 64-E• Mr. Pete's Market, East, Hwy 64-E • Griffin's Store, Edneyville, Hwy 64-E• Edneyville Post Office. Griffins Store, EdneyvilleShell station, 64 East and Sugarloaf RoadIngles, Howard Gap RoadMoose CafeHighway 25 North(Asheville Highway)• The Ugly Mug Coffee Shop, Hwy 25-N• Triangle Stop, Hwy 25-N, Balfour• Mountain Home Post Office• Fletcher Post OfficeInglesNaples Post OfficeTravel Plaza, US 25 and I-26Southern & Eastern Henderson County, Polk County• Dana Post Office• Rosco's Grocery, Green River• Saluda Post Office• Triangle Stop, 1487 Ozone Road, SaludaAll Henderson County Ingles StoresAll Henderson County Post Offices Read Story »
