With seven new businesses opening in downtown Hertford, Trish Gregory Rand, director of Downtown Hertford, said the town is on the move, and a revitalization of the county’s commercial core is on the horizon.
Downtown Hertford, the town’s commercial development office, is tasked with attracting new business to the downtown core, encouraging traffic and commerce for the town’s shopkeepers, and generally working to ensure that Hertford stays a vibrant hub for the county that continues to provide jobs and commerce.
Rand said Hertford is poised to develop its downtown so long as local governments and merchants take advantage of the community’s assets. A generation ago, Hertford was known for fishing, garment manufacturing and agriculture, which provided the jobs that kept the county going. With fishing and clothing manufacturing gone, the town is learning to lean on its other assets.
Retirees attracted by the county’s abundant waterfront property, and boaters and other tourists with money to spend are making restaurants, nightlife and leisure new potential gold mines the town can look to. Downtown Hertford is working to encourage growth in that direction.
Formerly known as Historic Hertford, Rand said the organization changed its name to avoid confusion with historical research organizations. The corporate name remains the same, but it is now doing business as Downtown Hertford.
Rand moved to Hertford from Raleigh three years ago. A graduate of Mary Baldwin College, she worked in Washington, D.C., for some years before moving to Raleigh and working in communications for the Raleigh Regional Association of Realtors. She wore several hats there, working with nonprofits, charities and public relations. When the Downtown Hertford job opened up, it was a good fit.
As Downtown Hertford’s director, she encourages and facilitates historic preservation, assists Hertford area businesses and shops, and recruits new businesses. She also helps them navigate business sales, real estate purchases, and business planning.
Rand is very pleased with the town’s leadership, who she said are dedicated to helping the town grow through revitalizing the business district. That emphasis from the top has paid off, she said. Seven new businesses have either located in the town or made plans to relocate to Hertford within the past seven months.
“That is great news because, in surveys done in recent years, we have found that we are losing millions of dollars in Hertford to other areas, whether that’s Elizabeth City or surrounding towns,” Rand said.
She said those losses translate into more than lost profits for local businesses. Lost revenue means lower employment, opportunity, and property values. Unchecked, a lack of business revenue can lead to spiraling decay and economic stagnation, a pattern seen too often in the region. She said local dollars count as much as those from visitors.
“The people of Hertford are looking elsewhere, and we want them to look here,” Rand said. “We want to provide goods and services so they don’t have to go elsewhere.”
Rand said she’s seen a will to help Hertford progress.
“As I started working here, I immediately felt there was energy, new business, and new plans,” she said. “Things don’t happen overnight so it will take some time, but we have seen progress. The Farmer’s Daughter, Mars Creamery, Something Old-Something New, these are new businesses for the town,” Rand said.
She said big changes are making differences for small towns.
“I think the pandemic changed things for all of us,” Rand said. “People left the cities and moved to smaller communities.”
One of the town’s chief assets for people looking to move is its proximity to water, she said. The town is on the Perquimans River.
“It’s beautiful, and I think that’s what a lot of people want to provide for their families: community,” Rand said. “The parents here are involved in their schools, and there is a sense of pride in Hertford.”
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