Martinsburg: our experience
Despite being a small town, Martinsburg has a lot going on downtown. Lately, we’ve seen a lot of positive growth. While some businesses have closed their doors, plenty of new businesses have been testing the waters and bringing some much-appreciated culture and energy with them.
It’s certainly not perfect… we get it – we see it too. It’s easy to only focus on the bad. The sidewalk that needs repair, the homeless person at the corner, the vacant, oftentimes disrepaired buildings and lots. However, I truly believe though that every town has a little dirt, and that it’s a matter of how and what we perceive. (read: no town is perfect, and there’s always improvements to be made.)
Over the past few years, we’ve made an intentional effort to be engaged and get involved with what’s going on downtown. Why? We want to see people – businesses, families, individuals, young, old – thriving around us. Jamey’s been leading the way for our studio, by participating in Leadership Berkeley, and we co-facilitated workshops and town hall meetings through What’s Next West Virginia, Berkeley County? part of a state-wide initiative. We’ve also been actively involved with other various local programs and initiatives, joining other organizations, chairing positions on boards, serving on committees, and the like, to make sure we know the people of our community from numerous perspectives.
What we’re doing next
There’s still plenty to do. The Martinsburg Farmers Market that Jamey manages is in its third year, and traditional events, as well as new ones, continue to grow in energy and participation. And we’ve loved seeing the new businesses that have popped up this year (Brix 27, the Peppermill, Simms Integrative Health Services among others) that provide more opportunities for all of us.
Regardless of the community or the industry, the need for good design has never been higher. Good design builds good businesses… good businesses help build good communities… good communities are good for people… And ultimately, people are the (and our) bottom line.
We’re a part of this growing community, and we want to help it flourish by doing what we do best to bolster business and encourage economic growth. But, it’s going to take a lot more than Jamey and I to make it happen.
We need you at the table with us.
We want to cultivate relationships, whether you’re a solopreneur or a fully-staffed company with a board. We need your support and collaboration to inspire fulfilling lives in our home county and state, as well as our neighborhoods.
