I often talk about downtown Elizabethton in my column, but the reasoning is that there is so much potential to see it grow and prosper even more than it does now. Nightlife is one area where this is very true. Right now, many businesses close up shop around 5 or 6 p.m. While we certainly encourage our retail businesses to stay open until 6 p.m., restaurants and entertainment venues could benefit our downtown by staying open even later.
Having attractive businesses and establishments open at night helps create a social culture within our community. Humans are social creatures and we are drawn to social locations. Adding a nightlife atmosphere to our downtown will be attractive to others in and outside of our community. Now, when I say nightlife, what I am not suggesting is turning downtown into a huge block party every evening, but rather having entertainment and food places open and available after 6 p.m. for people to get together, meet-up, or make new friends. Think more of the family-friendly nightlife of Kingsport or Bristol rather than the college night-life of Johnson City. You can enjoy a nice meal, watch a local band, and maybe get a cup of coffee or tea at the end of the evening all within close walking distance. Oh, and don’t forget to drop a dollar in the street performer’s violin case!
These types of nightlife activities also cultivate and encourage downtown placemaking. I’ve talked about placemaking before, but this is a multi-pronged approach to creating a public environment or space that promotes citizens’ happiness and well-being. There may be street vendors, street performers, or restaurants serving food to customers on the sidewalk, but all of these contribute to an energetic, vibrant, attractive space to simply visit and be a part of. Having options for citizens to stay local during a weekend evening out, or if you’re just looking for a change one weekday evening, helps our community, local businesses, local economy, and helps create a sense of place unique to our small city. Having a downtown nightlife cultivates the placemaking concept in our downtown atmosphere.
Like placemaking, nightlife helps identify our downtown at a third place. A third place is somewhere you choose to be and desire to go. Unlike the first two places — home and work — a third place is somewhere unique to you, somewhere of your choosing that you desire to be a part of. As downtown nightlife grows, it starts to become that “place” people go. It becomes your “hang-out” location for you, your spouse, or your friends. Downtown Bristol has, in my opinion, excellently captured and identified itself as a third place.
The more activities we have downtown after 6 p.m. the more we will see our downtown revitalize. As energy builds, others (including developers) will want to be a part of the vibrancy and excitement. This all starts, however, with changes in city policies, businesses willing to make the change, and property owners willing to make the investment. One alone cannot have the impact needed but working together we can make downtown what we desire. Let’s talk about it!
(Jon Hartman is Director of Planning & Economic Development for the City of Elizabethton. He can be contacted at 542-1503 or by email at: JHartman@CityofElizabethton.org)