Downtown’s All A-Twitter

Here’s a running list of downtown-related businesses and organizations now using Twitter:

Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance: DowntownHburg
HDR’s Twitter feed is the best way to stay informed or get reminders of events. Miss the antique milk truck exhibit? Got to Court Square Friday only to find out Fridays on the Square was moved to the Turner Pavilion? You wouldn’t have if you were following us on Twitter.

Arts Council of the Valley: HarrisonburgArt
Keep up-to-date on arts related news and events downtown, including gallery exhibits, movies and live concerts, and First Fridays.

Big Brothers Big Sisters: BBBSHR
The Harrisonburg branch of this non-profit located near on High Street is a great source for family-friendly events both downtown and beyond. Also interesting RTs on articles related to child development.

Blue Nile Ethiopian Cuisine: The_Blue_Nile
All locals in-the-know have Blue Nile near the top of the list of nighttime haunts, or at least they should. Unfortunately, their Twitter feed hasn’t had an update for months, but used more regularly, this would be a great place for finding info on upcoming shows.

Blue Ridge Design Studio: blueridgedesign
Randall Seitz, co-owner of this downtown architect firm, has a Twitter page that is a bit difficult to describe…much like Twitter itself. Find photos, interesting articles (some even related to architecture!) and a few random musings in the mix.

By the Side of the Road B&B: HburgVaBandB
By the Side of the Road is one of Harrisonburg’s three B&Bs, all located near downtown. Owner Janice Fitzgerald keeps her page fed with room specials tied to local events, but also tweets about the day to day trials and joys of owning a bed and breakfast.

Chaz Evans-Haywood: ClerkChaz
Follow the Rockingham County Clerk of Court as he tweets from his office in the Court House. It’s actually more interesting than it sounds; Chaz lives a busy life, from traveling to Peru to volunteer in an orphanage to kissing a cow in the name of cancer research.

Daily News-Record: DNRonline
Kudos for the local paper for joining Twitter! Though so far the DNR is only re-tweeting content from its web page, breaking news is also posted here, so there’s a possibility you may see breaking headlines first on Twitter before you check DNRonline.com.

DIGICO: ShootPostDesign
The owners of this video production company tweet about cool projects they are working on, downtown sights from their vantage point on E. Market Street, and construction updates on their future site on Water Street, next door to the Free Clinic.

The Gaines Group: G2Architecture
Architecture and design firm The Gaines Group “gets” Twitter in a way that 98% of other Twitter-ers don’t. RTs of downtown news, words of wisdom, articles on green building (the company’s specialty), and the occasional tweet on Twitter’s most fundamental question, “what are you doing?” are all there for you to follow.

hburgnews: hburgnews
The micro-blog of hburgnews, the forum for news and all things Harrisonburg, often features downtown happenings, observations, and recaps of business from the city municipal building (which is of course located downtown).

Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint: JackBrownsJoint
Downtown’s newest restaurant stays jam packed almost all the time, thanks to its intimate size, reasonable prices and good food. Its tweets are much like their burgers: meaty and to the point.

Joshua Wilton House: WiltonHouse
Chef Mark Newsome’s decision to tweet from the Wilton House kitchen is what inspired this blog post. Anyone who has ever wanted to get into the mind of a chef in an upscale restaurant, or anyone who loves gourmet food from fresh ingredients, should definitely become a follower.

Kai Degner: KaiDegner
Harrisonburg’s young major is undoubtedly the most plugged-in of all time. He ran on a pro-downtown platform, and his tweets show it.

Kline’s Dairy Bar: Klines_DairyBar
Never miss another weekly flavor forecast from Kline’s! Need we say more? I think not.

Rosetta Stone: rosettastone
Rosetta Stone is practically a household name in the US, so it follows that they get way more action on their Twitter page than anyone else on this list. The company stationed in downtown Harrisonburg uses their account to respond to fans and product users from around the nation (turns out #jason_mraz is using their software to learn Spanish).

Sancar Flats/Liskey Building: SJDonuts
SJDonuts is the business name of the developer working to restore the Sancar building on West Rock and the Liskey building on South Main (the red building that houses the Harrisonburg Beauty School). It’s a personal Twitter account, but one that includes construction pictures from inside the buildings and peaks of the completed rental units.

Travel Counsellors: TCItravel
Yes, that is an acceptable spelling variant of “counselors.” I think it’s British. The TCI folks (in a new location on West Market Street) are so well travelled, it makes sense they would bring some European flair to the party. Their Twitter updates include their latest special package deals and rates, travel advice, and general greetings to their followers.

WHSV-TV3: WHSVnews
Much easier to follow than TV-3’s web page, a tweet from an hour ago from the station located off Court Square involved the increasing popularity of farmers markets. We like that.

The Yellow Button: TheYellowButton
What happens when we say the following: Shoes! Designer Handbags! Sales! Did your heart just skip a beat? Do the words “Lucky” and “Free People” conjure up images of fabulous fabrics and stylish clothes rather than leprechauns and the Revolutionary War? If so, get thee to The Yellow Button, re-tweeting entries from their blog on a regular basis.

Seven Downtown Projects to Be Excited About in 2009

2009 is going to be a hallmark year for downtown Harrisonburg. In no particular order, here is are some reasons why you will be excited to “Experience Downtown” this year:

1. The Urban Exchange. Scheduled for completion in August, this mixed-use development on East Market Street will boast two levels of underground parking, 12,000 square feet of retail space and four levels of condominiums (both for sale and for lease).
2. SHHH! A top-secret new construction project will bring big improvements somewhere in the Central Business District. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that an announcement can be made within the next month or so.
3. More Renovations of Historic Buildings. New construction is exciting, but our history is truly the heart and soul of downtown Harrisonburg. Three ongoing renovation projects are scheduled to be completed this year:
   1. The Liskey Building. It’s hard to miss the major construction going on in this building on South Main Street, across from Dave’s Downtown Taverna. When finished, the building will have about five apartment units and two restaurants: Jack Browns Burger & Beer Joint facing Main Street, and Pennybackers, a family-friendly sandwich shop facing Water Street.
   2. The Wetsel Building. Look for Union Station to open in summer 2009, serving vintage food and local recipes in an historic atmosphere inspired by the 74-year-old building.
   3. The Old Spanky’s Building. We’ll need to find a new way of describing this building when it undergoes its makeover into an Asian fusion restaurant, spearheaded by the geniuses at Taste of Thai.
4. Keeping the International Headquarters of Rosetta Stone Downtown. This “stone” is a jewel in the center of our downtown. We’re hopeful that negotiations between the City of Harrisonburg and the language software company will allow the company to keep their headquarters downtown. In the current economic climate, the prospect of being able to create an additional 100 jobs for local residents is extremely encouraging.
5. A Downtown Grocery Store. We are optimistic that the Friendly City Food Coop will gain enough members in 2009 to be able to sign a lease. Many of HDR’s staff and members have already purchased shares to bring this cooperative grocery store downtown. Have you?
6. Return of the Tour of Virginia. Here’s hoping that 2009 is the year that Tour of Virginia comes back to town. Assuming that a title sponsor can be secured, this year’s semi-professional bicycle race will take place exclusively in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. Here are the proposed highlights:
   1. April 24: A time trial at James Madison University.
   2. April 25: The traditional criterion race circling downtown, with other possible events such as live music or a 5K race.
   3. April 26: Races from the Downtown Harrisonburg Farmers’ Market to Reddish Knob, with entries for professional riders and for the community (how cool would THAT be?)
7. You. Today, we are seeing more foot traffic than ever, with more people like you discovering downtown Harrisonburg as THE destination to eat, work, live and play. We know that everyone will be more selective about where they spend their money in 2009, and we appreciate it even more when you choose to support the variety of local businesses downtown has to offer. Thank you.

Jackhammers, Sidewalks and Paint–Oh My! (June 2008)

Dear Eddie: Can you explain why there are so many construction projects downtown this Spring?

EB: The many projects are a healthy sign that investors, property owners, businesses, and the city see opportunity in our downtown to support revitalization efforts. The list of construction projects includes: phase one of the streetscape improvements, the Farmers’ Market pavilion, facade improvements such as the You Made It! and Blue Ridge Florist buildings, the renovation of the Sancar building and the Liskey buildings, the new Rockingham County administrative building, and the new Urban Exchange building. Collectively these projects exceed $30 million. Stay tuned for additional projects to be announced over the next several months.