Over the last decade across Cherokee County, the biggest economic change arrived with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ opening Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel in 2015.
Another big event was Erlanger Hospital System purchasing Murphy Medical Center in 2018.
“This county has become more conducive for doing business,” Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Sherry Raines said.
The casino is one factor bringing in more people, jobs and more tourists, Raines added. The N.C. Department of Transportation found that 30,000 cars pass by the chamber office on U.S. 64 West in Murphy each day when studying the road for the ongoing widening project.
“I guarantee there weren’t 30,000 cars 10 years ago,” she said.
Raines said the chamber has gained a lot of memberships from outside the area in recent years. “That speaks to our business climate,” she added.
What helped the county survive economic downturns is the manufacturing businesses in the county, Raines said. Cherokee County has about a 27 percent manufacturing base with longtime staples like Industrial Opportunities Inc., MGM Brakes, MOOG and Snap-on Tools.
In the Andrews Valley
When Jan Olson first moved to area, she would enjoy a glass of wine with her husband at The Daily Grind & Wine. The popular downtown Murphy business, along with the Curiosity Shop bookstore, was also a downtown Andrews business nearly a decade ago.
Today, the Main Street building solely houses her own business, FernCrest Winery.
“My husband would say, ‘Wouldn’t this be a great place for a tasting room?’ – and we ended up here,” Olson said.
That’s not all that changed in the last decade. Just in Andrews, businesses like the Open Porch have moved around town and new ones like 992 Main St. Consignments have opened, while the town has seen the departures of restaurants like the Cole House and longtime stores like Ennis Hardware.
Smaller shops continue to face challenges. Olson, who is also executive director of the Andrews Chamber of Commerce, recalled one business owner telling her people would come in, price and try on clothing, then go to store in a nearby bigger city to purchase the item for less.
“That’s part of it right there,” Olson said.
However, Andrews has also seen the rise of wineries and breweries in town. Calaboose Cellars was the only one in 2010 before Calaboose owner Eric Carlson added Andrews Brewing Co. in 2013. Hoppy Trout Brewing Co. opened around the same time as FernCrest in 2016, while Snowbird Mountains Brewery opened in 2019.
“That’s a huge change,” Olson said.
Murphy looking ‘vibrant’
Murphy Mayor Rick Ramsey said when he returned to Murphy in 2015, the town was already looking “vibrant” to him, compared to when he graduated from Murphy High School in 1974. He added that there are 400 parking spaces downtown, and few can be found empty throughout the day.
“It’s hard to park,” he said. “What a great problem to have.”
Ramsey thinks the demographics changing to more retirees, as well as the Henn Theatre showing movies nightly, has helped downtown restaurants be more successful. As a retiree himself, he has learned that a couple can sometimes eat out cheaper than making a meal at home.
“I think people enjoy dinner and a movie,” he said. “Obviously, our restaurants are successful because they serve something of quality and the type of food people love.”
Ramsey and other officials believe none of the changes would have been possible without the cooperation and support of the Andrews and Cherokee County chambers of commerce, the administrations of both towns and the county, the Tourist Development Authority, Tri-County Community College and the Murphy Business Association.