Downtown Rising

See Spartanburg Rise. It’s a quick way to refer to new investment and business development in Downtown Spartanburg, but it can just as easily be used to talk about downtown’s emergence as a cultural hub, and a place for conversation and connectivity.

There’s art everywhere you look in Downtown Spartanburg.

The state’s second Cultural District, Downtown Spartanburg earned the designation in 2015 by the S.C. Arts Commission thanks to a campaign from the Chapman Cultural Center. A Cultural District is a geographical area in a city or town with a high concentration of cultural facilities, activities and assets.

The Downtown Spartanburg Cultural District itself is about four square blocks from Barnet Park to Spartanburg Community College’s Downtown Campus, west to the Gran District behind RJ Rockers Brewing, then up north to Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium.

The Downtown Cultural District includes

• 21 indoor live performance venues
• Nine outdoor performance venues
• 43 galleries or exhibit spaces
• 38 murals or other public art displays
• Five museums
• 64 studios and workshops
• Six historic sites
• 15 green spaces and arboretums
• 251 creative industry and cultural jobs
• 1,335 events and festivals open to the public

“I think it is critical that our Downtown experience remain fresh, welcoming and unique for not only our visitors, but for the downtown workforce and residents that enjoy visiting our downtown on a regular basis,” said Jennifer Evins, President and CEO of the Chapman Cultural Center.

“Public art provides an experience that is free and does not require businesses to be open or a special event for people to learn what is authentic and special about our community.”

As new ventures have come downtown, so too have opportunities for enhanced connectivity.

Spartanburg Methodist College’s first downtown presence, the SMC Studio is an event and meeting space available for community organizations and local groups and serves as an educational space. Student art adorns the walls of the modern space that can be used for SMC’s educational purposes, too.

Conveniently next door to the SMC Studio is new downtown favorite, Spill the Beans. Spill the Beans has joined longtime downtown staple Little River Coffee Bar as places for caffeine, meetings and conversation between community leaders and business representatives. On any given day at Spill the Beans, you can easily see several meetings – fueled by coffee, of course.

The scene is similar on the first floor of the historic Montgomery Building, where Little River opened The Pharmacy, a coffeeshop designed to match the feel of the Downtown Spartanburg high-rise built in the early-1920s.

Just outside of The Pharmacy’s glass-window walls are sets of tables and chairs, a perfect setup for small meetings outside the office.

All of Downtown Spartanburg’s coffeeshops – Little River Coffee Bar, The Pharmacy, Starbucks and Spill the Beans – have also become popular work and study spots for Spartanburg’s college students. With seven colleges around Spartanburg County, the chances you find a student from any institution with a laptop and a latte are pretty high.

Through the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce’s Downtown Development Partnership and the City of Spartanburg, downtown businesses are more involved with downtown’s future than ever.

Downtown Business Council meetings convene downtown business representatives, interested residents and community leaders once a month to discuss topics that are vital to the future development and ongoing success of Downtown Spartanburg.

“As we celebrate a full year since the inception of the DBC, we can look back and see the impact it has had on our merchants. Downtowns thrive because of people. People that walk our sidewalks, people that patron our businesses, and most importantly people that take risk and open those businesses,” said Jansen Tidmore, executive vice president of corporate and urban development with the Spartanburg Chamber. “Never before had this platform for those who made that investment been made available and those business owners have rolled up their sleeves and embraced their voice this platform provides. From creative crosswalks to facade wraps to parking conversations, in one years’ time we feel the impact this group has brought just by providing a venue to get them together. 

"Downtowns thrive because of people. People that walk our sidewalks, people that patron our businesses, and most importantly people that take risk and open those businesses

New offerings, development and redevelopment have made Downtown Spartanburg more walkable beyond Main Street.

Main Street in any downtown is a draw. That’s true in Downtown Spartanburg, but in recent years, booms of development have stretched downtown’s footprint to new, pedestrian-friendly areas, encouraging residents and visitors alike to venture around the heart of the Hub City.

The restaurants on Magnolia Street alone are enough to satisfy most cravings.

Bar 1884, right next door to downtown staple Miyako Sushi Group, offers classic dishes with fresh twists, and a specialty drink list for diners to enjoy at the restaurant’s rooftop bar.

The Flat Spartanburg has Southern favorites galore, and a little further up the street, Burrito Hub offers traditional Mexican cuisine, and has become a popular lunch spot.

Magnolia Street’s new life isn’t just restaurants, though. The Children’s Museum of the Upstate opened a Spartanburg location on Magnolia Street, designed for children between the ages of 3-5, aligning with the focus of early-childhood education shared by many organizations countywide.

The former Social Security building on Magnolia Street is getting new life, too, as 142 Social. The mixed-use building will include new downtown apartments and more than 7,500 square feet of commercial space for interested developers.

At the corner of St. John and Church streets, the historic Montgomery Building is thriving yet again.

The Pharmacy was the first new business to locate in the Montgomery Building, followed by James and James Collection menswear store. Since then, Sidewall Pizza has joined the roster at the Montgomery Building, offering their funky, handmade pies.

Upstairs, there is more commercial and office space available, and floors four to 10 contain 63 apartments, all of which are occupied.

"We know the walkability of a city’s downtown is a major indicator of that city’s potential economic success, and in Spartanburg, that is evidenced up and down just about every downtown street."

“The OneSpartanburg community assessment showed that Downtown Spartanburg – and walkability downtown – was a major interest of folks across Spartanburg County. We know the walkability of a city’s downtown is a major indicator of that city’s potential economic success, and in Spartanburg, that is evidenced up and down just about every downtown street,” said Allen Smith, president and CEO of the Spartanburg Chamber.