Murphy – Keisha Dockery, owner of The Black & White Market downtown, is tenacious.
“One year ago,” she said, “I presented a proposition to the town council to close the alley to vehicle traffic.”
Her shop sits next to the narrow passage, which she found dangerous.
“People would drive too quickly, and it was very difficult to safely make a turn onto the main road,” Dockery added.
To her pleasure, the council agreed with her. But closing the alley to motor vehicles was just part one of her master plan.
“I had a vision for lights and seating, a community gathering spot,” Dockery said.
The plan encountered some challenges. The alley became a bespoke project between Dockery and downtown development director Laura LaChance.
“There was no public seating area downtown,” LaChance said, as the costs of seating and lighting were prohibitive.
However, local folks are generous, and soon Dockery, who campaigned for community donations, had enough funds to purchase the outdoor furniture. Last year’s town council generously donated one of the benches.
That left the lighting, an expensive endeavor considering the alley required wiring. This time, a local business stepped in when Murphy Power Board provided an electrician to service the area. Fairy lights soon dangled above wrought iron tables with benches and pretty flowerpots.
LaChance focused her energies on the purchase of the furniture.
“Leisure Craft out of Hendersonville sold us this furniture,” she said.
The end result took a full year of planning and patience, but the alley is open to the public all day until 11 p.m. The community can also reserve the alley for an event free of charge at townofmurphy.com. There is a $100 deposit that, pending courteous care of the area, is fully refunded after the event.