New Year ringing in new businesses

    Murphy – Mayor Rick Ramsey does not want to see his town become another Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
    “We just want to be prosperous and safe,” he said.
    Ramsey sees Murphy continuing to progress with businesses in the new year. He is already aware of two new restaurants that he thinks will be successful in completing deals to come to town, one that plans to be downtown, the other with plans on the four-lane highway.
    Because of the progress in both deals, he could not reveal much more – except that Murphy could have new options for barbecue and steak in the near future.
    Ramsey has met many people in his walks downtown who visited the area as tourists before deciding to make Murphy their home. His goal is to work on more parking for visitors enjoying local restaurants and shops.
    The Andrews Chamber of Commerce is excited about what’s expected to come to town this year. A couple of businesses even fit in with the chamber’s theme – raft, hike, fish, bike.
    Jan Olson, the chamber’s executive director, thinks businesses that open in the new year will follow the success of Cups & Cones Cafe and Grandpa Charlie’s Country Cookin’, two that opened in the second half of 2019 to good reviews.
    “I think (Andrews is) just going to grow on itself,” she said.
    The building more recently used as headquarters for the Andrews Garden Club was purchased last year and is expected to become a fly-fishing outfitter, Olson said. Another potential business owner has been looking for about a year for the perfect location for his bike shop, and she’s optimistic he’ll find a spot in Andrews.
    “He keeps coming back,” Olson said.
    There are some ongoing battles the chamber and businesses will continue to face. Many buildings are for sale, not rent, and she said it is often hard to persuade owners to rent.
    “But I don’t blame the owners of buildings,” Olson said.
    Many building owners have been hurt by renters who have come and gone quickly, some that figured their business would do just as good or better without a storefront.
    The Andrews chamber plans to provide educational programs to help business owners and potential business owners, and also hopes to do more in coordination with Tri-County Community College’s Small Business Center. Olson said they plan to hold programs on months when there isn’t a chamber mixer.
    The Small Business Center will continue to offer free seminars for local business owners and potential business owners with information on starting a business, marketing it and financing it, according to Kathryn Jenkins.