Main Street Upstate: Keeping Downtown Alive (part 2)

Jul 8, 2020 | Staying on Top, UpstateVibe365

There are nine towns across the Upstate that have Main Street associations, which exist to encourage economic development as well as historic preservation of downtowns. Those associations, working in tandem with local Chambers of Commerce and their city officials, have worked hard to support their downtown businesses during the shutdown and as things have begun to open up. We asked them to tell us about some specific ways that their businesses have engaged the community, supported each other, and have been successful in spite of the tremendous hardship of the pandemic.

We shared stories from Central, Walhalla, Laurens, and Greenwood in an earlier post; here are responses from four other towns.

Tony Brown, Envision Williamston

Tony Brown, Williamston

Like towns and municipalities across the county, Williamston has had to adjust during the outbreak of COVID-19.  Despite all of this, we have had some success with businesses opening and moving forward. One new business is the OGP Smoke shop.  This retailer sells tobacco products, vape products, cigars, and essential oils. They opened up during the height of the shut down during April 2020.  The owners say they have thrived and are building a loyal customer base. Another business that has opened is Home & Heart Design and Boutique.  This business sells one-of-a-kind crafts for the home and boutique clothing. Opening on May 30th, this business has a loyal following and is primed to be successful.

The greatest success story comes from a business that opened up just days before the economy shut down. Bee Clean LLC opened The Hive Car Wash on March 3, 2020. The owner, Remar Rucker, already had his pressure washing business, Bee Clean LLC. Now it has a permanent location. During the shutdown, business was slow.  The world was also shifting with the video of the death of George Floyd being seeing in every news cycle. A local cemetery in Powdersville was vandalized in June. Mr. Rucker went out voluntarily, without being asked and for free cleaned all the graffiti off the grave markers with his pressure washing equipment. He did not charge for the service but stated that he did this from the heart.  This simple act of kindness has led to a boom in his business—a boom with which he is having difficulty keeping up. Mr. Rucker is a one-man show, but now he is looking at hiring to keep up with the demand for his services.

Adele Alducin, Main Street Clinton

Adele Alducin, Clinton

Main Street Clinton went forward with our postponed date of Rhythm on the Rails this past weekend and it was a huge success. My team and I took precautions by expanding the footprint of our event, double spacing vendors, moving BBQ competitors to a park and adding sanitation stations throughout the event. We also added tables and chairs to our stage area to help with social distancing. We had team members on site cleaning travels and chairs as people moved from place to place. There was signage everywhere reminding people to social distance as well as inspection of food vendors each day.

The community followed the rules and were very appreciative that we held the event.

Shawn Bell, Fountain Inn

Shawn Bell, City Administrator, Fountain Inn

Our Chamber of Commerce held its Second Annual Taste INN: A Community Dinner Down Main Street on May 21st. This event closes Main Street for a community dinner that highlights our restaurants. Each guest went around to each restaurant booth to sample their dish and vote on which one they liked best. We had a DJ to fill the streets with music and is was sponsored by the City of Fountain Inn, SC Representative Mark Willis, and SC Senator Ross Turner.

One of our biggest success stories, unrelated to the pandemic, is the opening of a downtown splash pad at the end of the summer last year. Leadership Golden Strip, which is a joint venture between the Fountain Inn and Simpsonville Chambers of Commerce, raised private funds to construct a splash pad on a city-owned parking lot right in the heart of downtown. A few parking spots had to be removed for it to be installed and the entire parking lot was shut down during construction. Parking is at a premium in downtown Fountain Inn, and a lot of businesses were concerned about losing valuable parking spaces. However, once the splash pad opened, we saw a tremendous increase in visitors to our downtown from people from all over the region who would not normally have been coming to downtown Fountain Inn, especially during the day during the middle of the week.

Drake Scott, Main Street Director, City of Gaffney

Drake Scott, Gaffney

Just like other small towns across the country, Downtown Gaffney was faced with shutdowns due to COVID-19. The Main Street office partnered with the Visitor’s Center in Gaffney and became the city’s information center for closings/altered hours of city businesses.

We worked tirelessly on calling around to all restaurants and businesses that pay hospitality tax to get a list of their new hours, curbside, delivery, and pick-up options. We then created a list on our City website with all of these businesses so that the public knew who was open and how citizens could support their local establishments.

The biggest adjustment that many of our downtown businesses had to make was creating a social media presence where, in some cases, no presence existed before the pandemic. Some of our downtown businesses struggled once the doors were closed because they offered no alternative business strategy other than face-to-face sales. We worked with many business owners to help establish a Facebook business page so they could update their menus, hours, curbside pick-up options, etc., to help keep their businesses operating.

Despite the hardships caused by COVID-19, many of our businesses fought hard to stay open and did not give up. They rallied around each other and worked together to help promote all businesses on Main Street. I am proud of how downtown Gaffney came together during this pandemic and I am especially proud of their resiliency moving forward and adjusting to this “new normal” we are all experiencing today.

Libraries: So Much More than Books

Jul 8, 2020 | Staying on Top, UpstateVibe365

Libraries are a great place to get books, movies, magazines, and music, but the services they offer go well beyond reading materials. They also offer free internet service and printing; local historical archives; programs for children, teens, and adults; a place to gather for meetings and classes—and much more.

Rieta Drinkwine, Executive Director of the Union County Libraries, and Susan Myers, Director of Teen Services at Spartanburg County Public Libraries, answered some questions about how their libraries have found ways to continue serving during the pandemic.

Q: What kinds of behinds-the-scenes library functions have been going on during the pandemic?

Rieta Drinkwine, Executive Director, Union County Public Libraries

Rieta:  Since we closed our doors in March, much of what we have been doing is now behind-the-scenes. Library staff have continued to provide services remotely by phone, email, and chat. We’re providing access to library materials through no-contact book and activity kit pick-ups, as well as substantially increasing items available electronically. Additionally, we’re now providing daily virtual programs. Some of the most important behind-the-scenes work the library is now doing is working to address immediate and basic needs. One example of these efforts is the newly compiled comprehensive list of resources to support our community during COVID-19, which is accessible on our website. Another example of these efforts is that the team contacted and registered seniors for the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, and with the library’s assistance this year, Union had its highest participation ever. The library has also worked to identify alternative funding options in order to expand access to resources county-wide while the main facility is providing limited services, with the primary focus on expanding internet access.

Susan: It depends on the department. SCPL opened back up on June 3rd, but before that our branch staff and Circulation Department staff took turns going in to all of our locations to empty book drops, quarantine, and process returned items. Some administrative staff still reported in when necessary–like our Director and Assistant Directors, our Human Resources staff, our Finance Department staff, etc. Our Nurse Practitioner was still open. Our Collection Management department was busy adding more ebooks and resources while finding new ways to make them accessible to more people. Our Graphic Designers and Web Services staff kept our website and social media updated. Our Local History Department offered virtual genealogy classes. Adult, Teen, and Children’s Services were busy scrapping our original plans for summer reading and coming up with a new one-size-fits-all reading program, in addition to planning a slate of virtual programs. You’d be surprised how much happens behind the scenes to operate a library system, so those are just some highlights!

Q: What do you see as the biggest impact of the pandemic in terms of some of the social functions of a library, and were you able to find a way to continue to serve those functions in a limited way?

Rieta: The biggest impact of the pandemic on the library is the inability for folks to gather at the library. While we are able to provide support for virtual meetings and programs, including providing activity kits for childcare providers, we miss having people in the library and having kids use our slide! We have been focused on reallocating resources to areas of need and where we can provide services, including virtual programs and addressing basic needs.

Susan Myers, Director of Teen Services, Spartanburg County Public Libraries

Susan: Oh, wow–so much! Libraries are a social place. From a Teen Services standpoint, there’s no way to replace the in-person services and space we offered teens pre-pandemic. So this has caused us to get creative and really utilize social media to stay connected with teens. We have weekly contests for gift cards and books, we perform live reader’s advisory via our Instagram story, we have an SCPL Teens island on Animal Crossing where we host Island Hangouts on Friday afternoons, and we have new virtual teen programs every Wednesday at 2pm. Several other departments who serve a whole spectrum of ages also offer weekly programs. We strive to have something for everyone! In terms of library collections, all of our e-resources (of which there are many!) became overnight superstars because they were accessible when our physical collections weren’t. Even now with the library back open, people might still opt to use our e-resources from the safety of their own home.

Q: What do you miss most from pre-COVID days about life at your library? Will you need to do something creative to bring that thing back?

Rieta: I think we all miss the sound of children using the slide and attending programs in our children’s area! We know how much the kids are ready to be back at the library and expect little delay in them returning once they’re able to.

Susan: Speaking specifically from my role, it’s seeing teens in person! The Teen Hub is so lonely without them. All of our fun things are put away–no button maker, guitar, video game systems, furniture, etc.–so we’re trying to find ways to send fun home with them. Four of our summer programs have what we’re calling Pick Me Ups (while supplies last!). Two author programs have books teens can request, our Digital Escape Room has an optional 360 component that can be enjoyed with a free cardboard virtual reality headset, and teens could request a watercolor art kit for our Watercolor Art program.

What else do you want people to know about what you’re doing at your library?

Reita: We have slowly begun reopening all of our facilities in order to ensure the safety of our team and our patrons. We are currently focused on essential services, including support for students, employment assistance, and access to benefits, and we are continuing to provide all of our remote services as well.

Susan: This has been a challenging time for everyone, but also super interesting because it’s forced us to adapt and learn new skills in a really understanding environment. We’ve been free to experiment because nothing is like it was! We might not get to see our library regulars, but for example–teens who didn’t have transportation to us before can now enjoy library programs from their house. I look forward to figuring out new ways to safely deliver library services to the community. Hopefully some of what we learn and create during this time makes the transition to post-pandemic life!

Upstate Library Hours:

Abbeville: Click here to see hours for all branches

Anderson: Click here for hours as well as COVID-19 information

Cherokee: Gaffney 9-5, Blacksburg 1-5; please wear a mask

Greenville: Hughes Main Library is now open; curbside holds pickup available at other locations

Greenwood: 9:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday

Laurens: Still curbside and online only

Oconee: 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday; please wear a mask

Pickens: Click here to see hours for all branches

Spartanburg: Click here to see hours for all branches as well as other available services by appointment

Union: Click here to see hours for all branches

Looking at the Future of Trade Shows: A Conversation with Steve Hoffman, President of Skyline Exhibits and Design

Jul 1, 2020 | Staying on Top, UpstateVibe365

with Sharon Purvis

Steve Hoffman, President, Skyline Exhibits and Design

Skyline Exhibits and Design is a one-stop shop for trade show exhibit materials, from signage to custom booth design. Like many industries that revolve around a lot of people being in the same place at once, the trade show industry will need to adapt to a post-COVID world, with social distancing, masks, hybrid virtual/in-person meetings, and increased sanitation, among other considerations. Steve Hoffman is the president of Skyline Exhibits and Design in Greenville, and he answered some questions about the future of trade shows.

Q: There are a lot of changes for trade shows being talked about to respond to the pandemic—but are any of them things that might be permanent changes? And could that be a good thing?

If I focus on “changes” as the crux of your question, we need to remember any change can and will impact decisions and actions by any of these four key trade show players: the owner of the show, the producers of the show, the exhibitors, and the attendees. One item that necessarily is a part of everyone’s calculus both now and on a permanent basis is the financial impact of any change. So if something is done on the early side of shows returning that helps one or more of these groups financially without overly hurting one or more of the other groups, that will likely have the greatest impact on permanence.

A few things that are being considered industry-wide include:

• More space: Owners may seek more space for the totality of their event from a venue, which in turn could widen aisles (easier personal distancing) and enable them to provide larger booth spaces so exhibitors can spread out both their staff and the attendees visiting them on the show floor. Initially, while shows are just starting to come back from postponements and cancellations, it may be an easy incentive for the venues and show owners to offer their exhibitors. But, once there is demand from multiple events for the same venue at the same time, that ability to allow one event to spread out has cost implications.
• Flexible scheduling: This could be offered by event management. They could limit exhibitors to alternating shifts in the hall throughout the day or they could limit attendees to certain show hall times. Either approach could cut down on the “mass gathering” effect; however, neither makes it easier for buyers and sellers to connect on the show floor! To the extent stretched hours impact labor costs, those increases likely get passed on to exhibitors.
• Additional health and safety measures: Most shows (and possibly exhibitors) will be careful to offer things like hand sanitation stations; plexiglass dividers; floor spacing decals; lots of signage pertaining to fevers, coughs, and prior exposure; and even in some cases have temperature screening upon entrance to the expo. However, all will also be careful in not owning liability should someone get sick or exposed. The show’s producers, owners and exhibitors will have incurred additional cost for the precautions.

Q: What kinds of virtual enhancements to trade shows might be implemented?

This year’s rush to anything and everything “virtual” is a reaction to the challenge of how a company can introduce products, services and/or ideas in lieu of the usual face-to-face marketing opportunity inherent in a trade show. However, while some aspects of virtual supplements to the live experience may carry over, once the government regulators, individual venues, travel industry, corporate policies, and personal preferences allow for a return to personal interaction, the live experience will return to pre-eminence. There are some virtual initiatives that are growing in usage now that may remain. These include a “Virtual Booth Experience” where a company creates an interactive 3D rendering of their exhibit booth and touchpoints allow for videos, jpegs, pdfs and information capture much as would happen at a live event. Another example is likely to be greater usage of videoconferencing for follow-up meetings. During the current trade show pause, some exhibitors are using customized virtual platforms. Companies still have a need to communicate and many have budget dollars that had been allocated to shows which are now not being spent. A virtual meeting can enable interactive discussions;  it can be live or a pre-taped presentation; and it can be a repository for information and updated information on products. It’s the combination of “live via virtual” plus “info on demand” that makes this option a cut above a regular website or landing page. That same combo may prove beneficial for some marketers when coupled with a return to live trade show exhibiting.

Q: How are trade shows different from other mass gatherings, and how will those differences impact trade shows?

Trade shows have always taken place in a controlled environment that exists for the mutual benefit of an exhibitor and an event attendee. Conversely, a majority of other mass gatherings are aimed either at consumers or are created as a result of spontaneous and/or unplanned proximity of people to one another. The owner of a trade show has the opportunity to employ multiple methods for greater control and social distancing. The impact for exhibitors will likely be more prescheduled appointments with a higher level of decision maker. Attendees will enjoy fewer crowds in aisleways and will want to make best use of their time on the exhibit floor due to possible “traffic flow” directives and staggered attendance hours inside the hall.

Q: In terms of your business, what kinds of things can you do with displays to help with the required changes?—for example, booth size, adding sanitizing stations, floor markers, etc.?

Of course any individual exhibit design would have to account for that organization’s needs, but I think responsible exhibit houses will be taking a greater look at what the exhibitor wants the attendees’ experience to be. Anything interactive will require cleaning between individual touches. Meetings, whether private or semi-private, will likely eat up more space; there will likely be fewer tangible items (literature, samples, giveaways) that are provided at the show, which could mean less in-booth storage is needed. Graphic-based QR codes may be an instant replacement for paper literature. Within a booth space, we’ll likely see greater definition of booth staffer areas and partitions at many conference tables. We may see theatre style presenters behind plexi dividers and fewer seats.

As a positive, I think many exhibitors will really focus on their messaging to be sure the critical ideas cut through clutter and are memorable.

Q: Nearly every surface can be used as advertising space—what are your thoughts on masks as branding opportunities?

Most likely, shows that return will offer this as a sponsorship opportunity. Individual companies will likely offer masks as a giveaway. I’d suggest humor if a company is going to sponsor the official masks at a show because COVID-19 has been so universally negative and disruptive I’m not sure I’d want my brand on every attendee’s face linking me to the pandemic.

Q: Plexiglass—is this something you currently use in your displays, or something you’re having to incorporate now?

I would anticipate “plexi” having a greater prominence at live events. We have used it in exhibit designs forever—sometimes as a window; sometimes as a substrate for a graphic standoff; sometimes as part of custom “look but don’t touch” product demonstrations. We’ve used it in walls and for safety railings and I expect all those applications to continue. However, we will see it used inside of exhibits to create personal barriers at booth staffer stations and small meeting areas. Also, much like in retail, we will see it in the show management’s work areas where exhibitors are placing last-minute orders, picking up items preordered, arranging freight, picking up badges, etc.

One unfortunate but likely scenario is supply and demand will push materials costs up. Not only will plexi be used more often within the industry, but with it being used in so many additional retail or public gathering environments, the basic pricing likely will rise. If we see gas prices climb back up, that will be a double whammy as the plastic materials used in plexi likely have some type of oil by-product in them.

Q: What other kinds of creative things are you seeing/doing to incorporate safety and sanitation into trade show displays?

We’ve been developing some ultraviolet light-enabled cleaners so a visitor to a booth can disinfect their cell phone while having a chat with the booth staffer. Certain flooring products we offer are more friendly towards not retaining viral germs. We have lots of different types of sanitation stations that can attach to exhibit walls or tables or be free-standing.

On the marketing side, we’re talking with some clients about virtual applications either in lieu of or in addition to their traditional exhibit plans.

Q and A with William Munley, Administrator of Shriners Hospital for Children of Greenville

Jul 1, 2020 | Staying on Top, UpstateVibe365

with Sharon Purvis

William Munley, Administrator, Shriners Hospital for Children of Greenville

Q: What is one challenge that you’ve faced during the pandemic that’s the same as other hospitals?

A: Even as a hospital specializing exclusively in pediatric orthopaedics, we faced great uncertainty regarding how the virus would play out. It was unknown whether or not our assistance would be necessary for other hospitals facing capacity issues; for that reason, like other hospitals, we postponed elective surgeries. However, while most surgical procedures at our hospital are not emergent—there were those that were time sensitive. For instance, our Mehta casting program helps children facing progressive infantile scoliosis—an aggressive curvature of the spine. Treatment is time sensitive, as infants and toddlers grow quickly, and the casting procedure is an involved process requiring the patient to go under anesthesia. Like other hospitals, it was important we identified surgeries that could wait and—equally important—those that could not.

Q: What’s a challenge that you’ve faced that’s unique to Shriners?

A: Our hospital’s catchment area covers six states: South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia. During a time when travel is discouraged, the wide geography of our patient base creates a set of circumstances that most health care systems do not have to take into consideration.

Q: Many hospitals have placed restrictions on visitors and people accompanying patients, but I imagine it’s quite different in a setting where your patients are children. How have you handled this?

A: The emotional well-being of our patients is always something we consider, along with their physical health. In order to keep all of our children safe, we allowed each patient to be accompanied by only one parent or guardian. Recently, with sanitation and hygiene practices in full practice over the last few months, and a masking policy firmly in place, we re-evaluated and found that it was safe to expand our policy to allow two guardians to accompany our surgical patients. With every choice we’ve made along this winding road, the first question we’ve asked ourselves is: What is best for our patients?

Q: The Greenville Shriners Hospital is located on the same campus as Greenville Memorial Hospital. Is there a connection?

A: It is a common misconception that we are a part of Greenville Memorial Hospital; we are not. While we are located in a freestanding building on the same campus, we are a separate entity entirely. We do, however, enjoy a great working relationship with Greenville Memorial, and we utilize some of the talented members of the Prisma Health anesthesiology and radiology departments, as well as some subspecialists.

Q: Have you been able to continue offering all of your normal services and procedures, or were some of them pushed back because they’re considered to be elective procedures?

A: While telemedicine has been on our horizon for a while now, we used this time to fully launch our Fast Pass Virtual Visit service. As we worked to keep foot traffic in the hospital limited for the safety of those whose care required in-person service, this tool proved invaluable. Meanwhile, the needs of our other patients remained a paramount priority as well—and we were happy to provide them with the opportunity to visit with their nurse and doctor in the safety and comfort of their own home. In fact, many of our doctors felt that—with the ability to see and understand the home environment of their patients—they were able to offer even more personalized care.  

Q: What do you want people to know about Shriners Hospital now, while so much focus is on COVID-19?

A: As things are opening up in the Upstate and across the country, there has been a rise in people testing positive for the coronavirus. However, we are proud to say we have not had one patient test positive. This has been through design, and hard work. Preventive measures, including screening questions, temperature checks, mandatory masks for all who enter the hospital and being vigilant about social distancing, have helped us achieve this standard. Additionally, we have employee “navigators” who stay with our patients and families to help them progress directly from our parking garage to their scheduled appointment room. Our entire staff is back to work, and all of our services are available again—including physical and occupational therapy, inpatient and outpatient surgery, outpatient clinic, motion analysis lab, and prosthetics and orthotics. As always, our multidisciplinary approach to care means everything is available under one roof; this eliminates the need for families to make multiple stops. We are extremely proud that the model we have had in place at the Greenville Shriners Hospital for decades could not be more relevant and appropriately designed to face the challenges we are experiencing right now in healthcare—and our world.