Steve Mensing, Editor
♦ Anyone with even the most limited powers of observation will quickly note Salisbury’s ghostly Downtown ain’t cookin’ with wall-to-wall vacancies and the South Main Badlands spray painted with gang tags. Few people dare to go to the “Isle of the Lost Souls” due to its pathetic lack of any real attractions, lack of meaningful retail, and only a few successful eateries like Romo’s Pizzeria, Uncle Bucks, and Bangkok Downtown.
Downtown could be turned around by not replicating its ongoing failures. Downtown doesn’t need another wiggery, it needs the hands and brain of a skilled surgeon. Making it a bicycle and rickshaw haven will not cut it. Salisbury is completely the wrong context for that approach at this point in time. In fact traffic calming on East Innes will move many drivers from even bothering to drive to Salisbury and put a hurting on Salisbury’s East Innes chain store tax base.
Here’s a short list of what can be done to remake Downtown Salisbury a draw using cooperatives, affiliating independent retailers who can profit from affiliation, creating attractions likely to generate high-volume tourist traffic, allowing in boutique style chain stores, and removing obsolete buildings (The Empire and its South Main Badlands need to be killdozed pronto) and replacing their empty spaces with viable assets. Let’s also add in ridding the merchant community of the onerous municipal tax, dumping DSI, and creating another merchant-based organization capable of promoting Downtown and nights out.
Overnight Salisbury could turn its “SCARS INTO STARZ!”. Today our focus will solely on the creation of tourist attractions in Downtown Salisbury.
Tourist Attractions
Rowan County placing a distant 29th in “dollars spent” by North Carolina counties means that Rowan County is a complete tourism non factor. All the pricey rebranding of Rowan County is not going to do much for a county with limited attractions. Outside of N.C. Transportation Museum in Spencer, the “Hillbilly Rivera” (High Rock Lake), the Confederate Prison guard house (Salisbury), and the Hall House and Plantation (Salisbury), Rowan County is absent-without-leave in the tourist attraction category. Salisbury, utilizing private investment, could build Downtown attractions that would draw folks from across North Carolina and the United States to our currently ghostly berg. Overnight Salisbury could turn its “SCARS INTO STARZ!” Here’s some suggestions:
THE N.C. MUSEUM OF MURDEROUS CREATURES
Main Street would be a great spot for a small museum housing a N.C. Museum of Murderous Creatures. What a fantastic draw for both children, adults, the murderous creature curious, and school groups. Different museum wings could be dedicated to North Carolina’s lethal venomous snakes (rattle snakes, water moccasins, copperheads), death dealing spiders (Brown Recluse Spiders and Black Widows), and other murderous creatures. A Rowan County Room dedicated to local killer snakes and spiders would be a thrill a minute winner.
THE N.C. MOTORCYCLE HALL OF FAME
An overwhelming number of Motorcyclists reside in Rowan County and Salisbury would love a “N.C Motor Cycle Hall of Fame”. Famous choppers, historic motorcycles, and plaques commemorating world class motorcycle racers could crowd its wings. People and motorcyclists would pour into Salisbury from all over the state and the U.S.A. to visit this hall of fame. And the more people coming to such an attraction means more visitors to Salisbury’s Downtown.
THE INTERNATIONAL HALL OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Displays of forensic science and notorious criminals who graced North Carolina, Rowan County, and Salisbury would be an outstanding attraction. Perhaps when famous white cannibal Pazuzu Alagrad, who allegedly bagged human quarry from Salisbury, passes away as a ward of the state, the state might grant consent to turn Pazuzu Alagrad’s body over to an able taxidermist who might put the satanic hunter on display. Roy Rogers had a taxidermist prepare Roger’s favorite horse “Trigger” for display. Why not Pazuzu?
DRUG DEALERS SEIZED ASSETS AUCTION HOUSE
Imagine the grand auctions that could be conducted on Main Street in Salisbury! Example: “Drug Dealers Seized Assets Auction”: Jewelry and fine art seized by police, the sheriff’s Office, and federal and state agencies. Property from seized and forfeited drug bust assets. Heroin, meth, and crack peddlers losses–our visitor’s gain. Rollexes, diamond studded grillz, gold teeth, high grade bling, fine art, Southern Heritage memorabilia, fur capes, and digital scales.
Salisbury is in dire need of attractions
The International Hall of Criminal Justice (below):
