Local Business and Economic Development
Virginia Tech Today hosts Eddie Amos and Kim Blair
This week the co-hosts on “Virginia Technology Today” – heard every Thursday morning on WFIR – turn the tables on each other. Kim Blair talks about recent developments at the Virginia Tech-Carilion campus in Roanoke, and Eddie Amos addresses the importance how to recover from catastrophic events – like the current pandemic:
Photo: Mast General Store
Mast General Store will begin reopening its established locations starting tomorrow with its Boone, North Carolina store; company president Lisa Cooper tells WFIR a grand opening date for the newest location in downtown Roanoke at the old Heironimus building has been targeted for June 17th.
NEWS RELEASE: VALLE CRUCIS, NC – Mast General Store, based in Valle Crucis, North Carolina, announced on Wednesday, May 13 that its stores will re-open in phases.
“The safety and well-being of both our customers and our employees are at the foundation of our plans,” said Lisa Cooper, president of the family of stores. “We are re-opening in a slow, thoughtful, and measured way to create an atmosphere that is welcoming and safe.”
The re-openings will be based upon several criteria including that re-opening is allowed by state and local regulations, that the store has proper protocols and materials in place, and the organization is confident that it is doing all that can be done to keep employees and guests safe.
As those benchmarks are met, Mast Store will add additional protocols at each location including daily employee health screenings, increased cleaning and sanitizing, required face coverings for employees, social distancing by employees and guests, reduced occupancy, and reduced hours of operation.
Cooper observed, “It will likely require a little more grace and understanding on both sides of the counter, but we hope to maintain the same caring, informed, and welcoming atmosphere that people love and expect when they visit Mast Store.”
Opening dates for Mast Store locations are:
- May 15 – Boone
- May 18 – Greenville and Knoxville
- May 25 – Asheville, Waynesville, and Valle Crucis
- May 28 – Columbia, Hendersonville, and Winston-Salem
An opening date for the newest “old” location in Roanoke will be established in the near future. [As noted above, the company president tells WFIR the target date is June 17.]
To learn more about the re-opening of the Mast Store and how they are continuing to serve their communities in these unprecedented times, please visit their website at www.MastGeneralStore.com or check their social media profiles.
A downtown Roanoke deli that doesn’t have the option of outdoor seating is getting creative to expand service by also becoming a butcher. WFIR’s Ian Price has more:An “open kitchen” experience, a new lobby bar in the Palm Court and outdoor seating that will add 55 seats to the Pine Room Pub are all slated for completion by September at Hotel Roanoke. Part of the motivation for the multi-million dollar renovation by the Hilton property is keeping current and fresh in the face of stiff competition for the major conference business that is expected to pick up again in the Fall. General manager Brian Wells:
NEWS RELEASE: The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center, Curio Collection by Hilton is unveiling plans for a transformational multi-million dollar renovation of The Pine Room Pub and Palm Court Lobby.
The renovation will close the Pine Room Pub for the next five months while the space undergoes extensive interior and exterior renovations. With a reopening slated for September 2020, highlights of the project include: a new 40-seat lobby bar and seating area; an open kitchen experience in the restaurant; an outdoor patio seating area; adding more than 55 seats to the restaurant; a return of the night sky mural previously seen in the pre-1939 hotel; daily lunch and dinner service upon reopening; an additional ADA accessible bathroom and function space.
Photo: Wall Street Market Facebook
A downtown Roanoke restaurant says it is closed for good as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The Wall Street Tavern is one of the restaurants housed in the City Market building. The restaurant’s owner posted word on her personal Facebook page. It ends a five-year run; Wall Street opened at the market in April of 2015.
From Catherine Justice Facebook: My heart is very heavy today as many of you have heard the news about Wall Street Tavern, Roanoke closing our doors for good. We are just one of many, many small businesses affected by Covid-19. I will be forever grateful for the years that Roanoke supported and loved us. Above all…. we had the BEST staff in the world. A staff that took me under their wings and guided me through a business I have no background in……that era of human kindness will be the ultimate impact that WST has on my heart & soul. If anyone else in the small business world is feeling hopeless, confused & simply defeated; do not hesitate to reach out. For now I will focus all of my attention to my other small business Punch Boutique❤️ Too many thank yous to list. Godspeed and I love you all.
An aggregation of employment forecasts from national databases and economists that was analyzed by the online financial firm MoneyGeek shows Roanoke area unemployment levels peaking at 29 percent, with almost 46,000 out of work – most of that coronavirus related. Hillary Adler is MoneyGeek’s Director of Content Marketing. Adler says Monday’s announcement about a Phase 1 reopening of Virginia businesses means that unemployment forecast will be adjusted – although the Roanoke College graduate now working in New York City says the numbers will remain high in the near future.
To see the numbers click below:
https://www.moneygeek.com/coronavirus/unemployment-statistics-forecast/us/va/roanoke