North Carolina is full of places that boast a small-town atmosphere, but many of them now must face the challenge of maintaining that image among an influx of large chain stores into their economies.
Some town officials say the presence of big box stores such as Target, Wal-Mart and Harris Teeter immediately takes away from the local charm associated with business districts of small towns.
Jeremiah West, recently hired planning board director of Banner Elk, said the problem there is just beginning to surface. A tourist town, Banner Elk still has only one hotel -- a Best Western.
"I was hired specifically to help maintain managed growth," he said.
Banner Elk's planning board gave Lowe's hardware store the approval last year to build a store, but some fear that the chain's presence will take business away from the local Ace's Hardware's franchise.
An outside party sued the town for approving the Lowe's in January, but the board maintained its position even after a revote. The planning board thinks Lowe's will be good for the town because it will provide 100 full-time jobs.
"In a town so dependent on seasonal tourism all year round, jobs are important," West said.
Other towns across the state have had much more experience looking out for small, privately owned businesses as larger chain stores come into town.
Twenty years ago, Chris Johnson started the Downtown Smithfield Development Corporation, a nonprofit organization with the purpose of being an advocate for the downtown area.
