Photography by Garry E. Hodges
Anne Abernethy Wepner was honored as a 2011 Main Street Champion at the North Carolina Main Street Annual Awards program in Clayton on Jan. 26. Wepner was selected by the Downtown Newton Development Association (DNDA) for this special recognition in appreciation of her exceptional contributions to the downtown revitalization process.
Along with Champions from 30 other communities, Wepner received a certificate commemorating this designation, presented by N.C. Secretary of Commerce J. Keith Crisco, Deputy Secretary Dale Carroll, Assistant Secretary for Community Development Henry C. McKoy Jr., and Urban Development Director Liz Parham.
Each of the state’s active Main Street programs is given the opportunity annually to recognize a local Main Street Champion. The dedication and hard work of countless volunteers is required to make a local Main Street program successful, and the Main Street Champion designation acknowledges the extraordinary efforts of those persons who have played pivotal roles in the revitalization of their downtowns.
“A Main Street Champion is the innovative entrepreneur who is bringing fresh ideas to downtown; the reliable volunteer who can be found tending a barbeque cooker at 4:30 a.m. in preparation for a downtown special event; the creative building owner who takes great care to ensure that renovations respect the architectural and historical significance of the structure; or the city council member who has worked diligently to preserve and protect the unique, authentic assets of the downtown she calls home,” Parham said. “Whether volunteers, business or property owners, corporate citizens, civic leaders, municipal employees, or public officials, Main Street Champions are the stewards of downtown, who go the extra mile to restore vibrancy and vitality to the hearts of the communities they love.”
In recommending Wepner for this honor, the Downtown Newton Development Association offered the following:
Following in the footsteps of her father and grandfather, who both operated businesses there, Anne Abernethy Wepner continues to maintain a family presence in downtown Newton.
Anne has renovated three downtown buildings, the first of which is now home to the business she operates with her husband, Tim. With a partner, Anne next purchased and up-fitted a former restaurant building that currently houses the offices of Classic Home Renovations and the showroom for Fixtures & More, a residential lighting business operated by Anne and her children. With the growth of Fixtures & More, additional warehouse space was required, so Tim Wepner purchased a building across the street. Following renovations, the remodeled first floor contains offices, and the basement is used as warehouse space.
Anne Abernethy Wepner is truly invested in her downtown, and the Downtown Newton Development Association is proud to recognize her as a 2011 North Carolina Main Street Champion.
With this honor, Wepner joins a special group of 11 Main Street Champions recognized by the Downtown Newton Development Association (DNDA) to have made exceptional contributions to the vitality of downtown Newton. Wepner said that her plans for downtown Newton are not finished. She recently purchased the downtown store building that housed her grandfather’s Abernethy Hardware business and is looking forward to getting that building back into the mainstream of downtown activity.
Main Street is a downtown revitalization program for smaller towns based on economic development within the context of historic preservation. The North Carolina Main Street program, which provides technical assistance to its communities, is part of the Urban Development division in the Department of Commerce’s Division of Community Development.
In 1980, North Carolina was one of six original states, selected from 38 that applied, to launch the work of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s National Main Street Center. The North Carolina Main Street program began with five participating cities – New Bern, Salisbury, Shelby, Tarboro, and Washington – in September 1980 and has since grown to include 61 communities across the state. The City of Newton was designated a Main Street community in 1990. The Downtown Newton Development Association follows the Main Street four-point program for downtown revitalization within the context of historic preservation. The mission of the Downtown Newton Development Association is to foster growth and redevelopment in the City’s Central Business District and to strengthen the unique characteristics that make downtown Newton a vibrant destination. For more information about the DNDA or the Main Street program, contact Newton’s Commercial Development Coordinator Rob Powell at (828) 695-4360.
