Official hopeful for Manassas

By Kipp Hanley

Published: May 15, 2008

When it comes to the stalled economy, Manassas is not the only one suffering, said Historic Manassas Inc. Executive Director Linda Robertson.

In fact, she said it may be in better shape than many other small towns and cities in Virginia thanks to its business-minded leaders.

On Thursday, Robertson was outdoors hawking for Manassas at the rest stop off Interstate 66 in Prince William County. Outfitted with a "smile and a Farmers Market apron," Robertson was taking advantage of National Tourism Week and a light schedule to stump for her city.

"Manassas is in a lot better shape than a whole lot of smaller towns and cities primarily because we have such an active council who supports the idea of a historic Manassas and a Virginia Main Street," Robertson said.

On Monday, the Manassas City Council approved its Economic Strategic Plan for 2009-2012, which is designed to stimulate growth throughout the city. This spring, the council is expected to adopt its Downtown Sector Plan, which has identified needs in Old Town.

The council also approved $325,000 for improvements on Battle Street as part of councilman Andrew Harrover's Manassas Next initiative, and was recently allowed by the state to designate its Old Town area as an Arts & Entertainment District.

All these efforts couldn't come at a better time. O'Meara's Irish Pub, Olde Towne Hobby Shoppe and House of Bella Salon & Spa all have recently closed and there are many other empty storefronts throughout Old Town.

Victorian Tea Room & Bakery on Battle Street will also be closing later this month. Patti Woodside, owner of the Victorian Tea Room, said the last 18 months have been especially bad. And because she's a single mother putting her daughter through college, Woodside was forced to start a full-time job at Aurora Flight Sciences at the Manassas Airport in order to keep her business afloat.

"It was a real heartbreak for me," said Woodside, who started the business in 2004. " I did everything I could to keep it. I had wonderful employees and I felt like I was a very strong part of the town."

One of Old Town's newest merchants is Jeff Harwood, who opened the Java-Roo coffee shop on Main Street three months ago. While business has been decent, Harwood hopes things will start to pick up even more.

The key, he said, is just getting people who work in Old Town more familiar with his store and to eventually get outdoor seating. Harwood hopes that the new parking deck for Old Town visitors and Virginia Railway Express commuters will help bolster his weekday business. The garage is scheduled to open by mid-summer.

Robertson said there's no magic bullet that will help boost Old Town. However, she mentioned a number of interesting ideas for the future of the area.

Robertson would like to see a small grocery store in the Van Metre development, scheduled to be built on Center Street across from the shopping center that currently houses O'Meara's. She also said she has had numerous conversations with city employees, including Economic Development Manager Debi Sandlin, on the prospects of a hotel/conference center on the site currently for sale next to the police department on Fairview Avenue.

While Robertson also mentioned attracting a Borders Bookstore for Old Town, Sandlin said chain stores aren't necessarily the answer.

"Having the right mixture of retail is necessary," Sandlin said. "You want the type of retail that has the unique antique gifts and the other every day items to draw people into Old Town."

Woodside said the best thing the city could do is to find better ways to market the Old Town area, citing Northern Neck town Colonial Beach as a prime example. One of the major themes of Manassas Next is marketing and the approved initiative put back $25,000 into the budget solely for that reason.

"Their [Colonial Beach's] chamber of commerce was running ads on the radio to bring people in," Woodside said. "You have to market outside of the Old Town area. We have two associations here who do a great job but it's usually very localized. You have to pull people in, as opposed to going right outside your door."

Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-369-5738.