The public came out to celebrate the grand opening of the revitalized 7th Avenue District in downtown Hendersonville on Saturday, May 3.
The 7th Avenue Street Fest ran from noon to 5 p.m., featuring food, entertainment, games and local vendors. The event coincided with the opening day of the Hendersonville Farmers Market on Maple Street.
Jamie Carpenter, downtown manager for the city of Hendersonville, told News 13 that the long-anticipated downtown project was originally set to begin in 2020. However, it faced setbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Helene and construction delays.
"Most of them were heavily impacted by the storm because the construction was already happening here," Carpenter said.
"We did have some businesses further down 7th Avenue that were heavily impacted," Carpenter added. "It feels really good. It's been a really long project, and it's been a long time coming. I've been here for five years, and we were supposed to start this project back in 2020, and with COVID and all the impacts related to that and there were some construction delays, so it's really good to see that happening."
The celebration marked the completion of the $4.2 million streetscape revitalization project, which included essential underground utility upgrades.
Carpenter said the 7th Avenue Street Fest gave visitors a chance to explore the refreshed district and enjoy local vendors, live music and family-friendly activities.
"It's to show how great of a district 7th Avenue is and to celebrate a long time coming," Carpenter said.
Luke Gilbert, owner of Wild Goods, said he was thrilled to see the community come out and support local vendors and businesses.
"It's great to see the crowd come out today and support," he said. "Even though a lot of people have been hit so hard with Helene and the loss of tourism after all of the destruction, it's great to see the crowd come out today and support."
STORY & PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC 13 WLOSHendersonville celebrates grand reopening of revitalized 7th Avenue District
