Ches Chesson, Executive Director, Main Street Edenton/ Economic Development Director, Edenton Chowan Partnership

In an interview with Invest:, Ches Chesson discussed how Edenton is revitalizing vacant downtown properties through adaptive reuse, public-private partnerships, and business recruitment. The conversation highlighted projects that will create jobs, expand retail and event activity, and strengthen quality of life. “The downtown is what creates that community,” Chesson said.

What changes over the past year have had the greatest impact on the city and its downtown, and how is that shaping your priorities?

Like many rural downtowns, we have several large buildings that have been vacant for years, including an old furniture building and a former Belk-Tyler building. The challenge is finding creative solutions because the large businesses that once occupied those spaces are not coming back downtown.

Fortunately, two of our three large vacant buildings are under renovation, while the third is in pre-development. It will bring an IT services company into the second and third floors, with mixed-use retail on the first floor, including a coffee shop, ice cream shop, and clothing store. The company has committed to creating 155 jobs over five years. That is equivalent to about 1% of our population, which would have a significant impact on downtown sales, foot traffic, and vibrancy.

Another building began demolition recently and is targeted for completion in December. The plan is to create a modern, high-tech audiovisual event space with a taproom. This venue will allow us to host up to 260 people in one space, with modern technology and an ABC license on-site. That will help us attract conferences, summits, and meetings for local industries and state partners.

How have current market conditions affected downtown businesses?

Much of our downtown consists of boutique clothing stores, coffee shops, bakeries, and service providers. I do not think any of our clothing retailers have experienced an up year. The cost of goods has increased while disposable income has declined. We are also seeing elements of a K-shaped recovery, with some luxury items holding stronger while value-oriented products have experienced lower sales.

Businesses using a bricks-to-clicks model, maintaining both a storefront and an online presence, have benefited from that approach. Our foot traffic is up about 10%, which is encouraging, but sales are still down. Consumers appear to be spending more on restaurants and drinks and less on goods.

What opportunities are local business owners identifying in today’s market?

Supporting small businesses is central to our role. About 85% of our downtown businesses are female-owned, and many have relatively small gross sales. Through our Main Street partners, we have access to retail data and leakage reports. When someone approaches us with a business idea, we can use that information to help evaluate the opportunity.
Pet supplies are one opportunity we have identified. Edenton has historically been known as a retirement community, although we are working to broaden that narrative and encourage more young professionals to move here. Our pet ownership index is around 130, partly because many retirees treat their pets as family. That suggests an opportunity for a pet-supply business.

Limited commercial space is both a challenge and a positive. Apart from the three large buildings, our smaller downtown spaces rarely remain vacant. When a building becomes available, we use data to identify a tenant that has the potential to succeed over the long term rather than turning over quickly and leaving the space vacant again.

What role do public-private partnerships play in supporting downtown revitalization and economic growth?

Public-private partnerships have become increasingly important as the cost of goods, lending, and development has risen.
Our redevelopment project with Provalus is a clear example. We assembled the capital stack, manage the invoices, and will sublease the space to the company. We secured just under $2.5 million in grant funding for the approximately $9 million project. If the company reaches its hiring goals, it will receive a subsidized lease rate and have the option to purchase the building after 10 years. The project would not have happened without public participation.

We also have a historic hotel that has been vacant for about 10 years and is now in pre-development. The developer is working through the capital stack, and we are determining how we can help the numbers work. Without a public-private partnership, it could remain vacant for another decade, enter foreclosure, and potentially be demolished.

Especially in rural America, these partnerships are often necessary to make projects attractive to developers and support feasible returns.

What workforce needs are local businesses raising most often, and how is the community responding?

In addition to my downtown role, I serve as the county’s economic developer. Over the past two to three years, we have made a concerted effort to align the school system and community college with local industries and ensure those institutions are responding to workforce needs.

For example, broadband expansion created demand for qualified fiber technicians. We helped connect the industry with the community college, which has a fiber technician program. Students who complete that program can move directly into available jobs.

We also have a large boat-building industry in the area. The community college supports that sector through training in fiberglass work and welding. Those programs benefit local businesses as well as residents who commute about an hour to work at nearby shipyards.

Which investments will have the greatest impact on Edenton’s future while preserving what makes the community unique?

Strategic planning is essential. A community must determine what it wants to look like in 10 years and then work backward to identify the steps required to reach that vision.

Housing is a major issue, particularly access to affordable options. The town acquired an 11-acre brownfield site and intends to remediate it before entering a public-private partnership with a developer. The goal is to create a mixed housing community that could include low-income housing tax credit units, townhouses, and single-family homes.

The development would target members of the workforce and people entering their careers. Ideally, it would give residents a way to move from renting to homeownership and eventually into the private housing market.

Intentional policy decisions have also helped preserve downtown. Nearly 30 years ago, a large multinational retailer wanted to enter the area. The company was known for drawing retail sales away from downtowns, so the community rallied to keep it outside the immediate area. That decision helped our downtown survive over the following decades.

We continue to make intentional choices about the partners and companies we bring into the community. Downtown supports business recruitment because executives want to see a strong quality of life. It also helps employers recruit and retain workers. The downtown is what creates that community.

What are the biggest opportunities and challenges in attracting new investment and supporting long-term economic growth in Edenton?

We consider our industrial park the backbone of the community because it is where many of the jobs are located, while the downtown corridor is the heart of the community.

We are working to shift the perception that Edenton is primarily a retirement destination. Our waterfront community is beautiful, quaint, and small, with the quality of life many people are seeking today. I grew up in Edenton and left at 18, but after starting a family, I came to appreciate the value of raising children in a small town. I can walk to work, visit downtown businesses afterward, and then walk home.

We also need to educate commercial retailers and real estate committees about rural markets. Traditional analysis may use a three-mile radius to measure population and median income, but that model does not work east of Interstate 95. People here are willing to commute 45 minutes to an hour for work or services, so the market must be evaluated differently.

Access to capital remains a challenge. We have the work ethic and the talent pipeline. The question is how to encourage investors and businesses to recognize those strengths and invest in the community.