Let us start this week’s article off with a big thank you to our readers! We have received many emails of encouragement from people who have read our articles over the last month, and your comments have meant so much to this inexperienced writer. He will admit that it has been enjoyable and he, too, has learned. We have finished the national Four-Point Approach to revitalization, and let me attempt to explain what your Washington Harbor District Alliance actually does for our central business district.

Please remember that it has only been since Feb. 1 since I have been employed and may miss some key points, so please excuse my lack of knowledge, but here we go.

Some think we only have two responsibilities — the harbor/boats and special events. Like you, I did too, but it reaches far beyond that to say the least! Many times councils will change, but your WHDA is always there to promote the economy of our business district and sustainability of our merchants and their interest. The WHDA is the economic arm for the business district and the City of Washington’s downtown interests. Think back when our downtown was buzzing. There were no large, big box stores or shopping centers. The only place to get merchandise was our downtown, and our downtown was from Water Street to Second Street and all along Market Street to Second Street. There was everything from pool rooms, to barber shops, shoe stores, retail stores, movies and drug stores, to name a few, and they were all locally owned. That is why the North Carolina Main Street Program is so important.

The N.C. Main Street program has impacted 155,000 small businesses with less than 20 employees in North Carolina, and more than 135,000 are considered microenterprises with fewer than 10 employees. Collectively, small businesses make up nearly half of North Carolina’s workforce, and the primary locations for small businesses are in rural, downtown and main street districts across the state. North Carolina’s Main Street program provides downtown revitalization services and technical assistance to downtown organizations like WHDA to help them build a positive climate, where businesses can continue to stay open, expand, make physical improvements to their buildings and create new jobs. This is the economic development we would like to foster in this beautiful city, located on the shores of our pristine Pamlico River. A friend of mine from high school once compared it to Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn growing up, and he was so right.

Can it be revitalized? My answer to anyone is that Washington is a first-class community with first-class people and should never be satisfied with being second class in anything! So, yes it can be, but it will take us all to get on board to help out. That is why it is so important to shop, dine and play in Washington and…always take a walk with The H-Rob.

Harold Robinson is the executive director of the Washington Harbor District Alliance.