A real downtown - just like the good old days and more

When one hears the word "downtown" a vision usually comes to mind of boarded up windows and barren streets. Some call it a place you drive through or avoid on your way to the mall. Older folks such as myself may recall it was a place of those good old days gone by. That magical place that you could walk around and "window shop" while passing people on the streets and nodding hello. If tired and thirsty you could stop in at the local Woolworth's or Kress's counter for a coke and a grilled cheese. Or find your favorite corner bar to share a drink and some friendly talk. Aah the memories of those days!

Well lace up your shoes and grab your bag and head on down to one of the few places that you can still experience a real downtown. The streets of Asheville looked very different 20 years ago while many of the businesses had either closed or moved to the Mall. But one amazing factor was that many of the old original buildings were not torn down but were left to be lovingly restored for generations to enjoy. Of course this would take years and money and interest to bring it back to life. A local resident Julian Price donated generous amounts of money and time contributing  to the resurrection of this lovingly restored place to explore. His efforts along with many others in the community have created a downtown that is rarely found these days. I know there are some in other cities and towns but there is something special and different about our downtown.
In addition to the buildings being restored and brought back to life this rejuvenation has created a space for many local owned and operated  businesses. Until recently there were no chain stores except for a CVS Pharmacy in the downtown area. Now  - and not without some efforts on locals to prevent it - there is a Urban Outfitters and  a Staples in the downtown area. Now that  a bit of history has been shared it is time to start exploring. I will share more history in this blog as I go along. There is so much to see and do and this blog was created to  - inform and share my love of downtown Asheville and - to help you  discover and  enjoy.
I think to begin I will do a tour of downtown with blogs using my photos and by dividing it up by streets, or maybe restaurants or how about all the events that occur, oh and all the funky and cool shops. Oh, Oh and all of the street performers and the Friday Night Drumming Circle. Whew! This is going to be tough  - but so much fun. Come on lets go!