Grassroots of Tarboro

To everyone who is looking for the perfect spot to live; looking for a beautiful historic town that is quiet and safe;  looking for a place where there are still plenty of opportunities for entrepreneurs to start their own business; looking for a place that has everything you think a little town should have...

Consider Tarboro, North Carolina.  The groundwork is in place.  The town is very pretty and well-maintained.  Homes are affordable and there are many existing buildings available to house your new business.

The people are very friendly and welcoming and smart and interesting and creative and anxious for positive changes to take place.  These same people are starting to work together and are making things happen in Tarboro.

Our downtown is partially revitalized, so there is already a core of businesses that are beginning to draw customers, but there is plenty of room for more businesses.  Just to name a few ... a bakery would be divine,  interesting arts and crafts would be well-received, a ladies' better clothing consignment shop has been talked about, an evening music venue would be popular, as would a restaurant with a great salad bar and healthy entrees, and another bed and breakfast.  

If you have an internet or technology based business, Tarboro is a perfect spot to call home.  It is an Embarq town with a good infrastructure. You can live in a quiet town, in a great old house, with no traffic jams, and be just over an hour away from the Research Triangle Park.

Tarboro is not perfect, but we're already working on enhancing what is here and creating the few missing elements. In 5 years things will be greatly improved and in 10 years, we'll look back and say "Wow, we knew Tarboro could be great!

Come to Tarboro soon, while things are just getting started. This is definitely a get in on the ground floor opportunity and we can use your help.  Come find out what it is like to build a town and be part of a community. 

Ordinarily, if you visit downtown Tarboro on a Saturday afternoon, you won't find crowds on the sidewalks.  If you are looking for something to do you can browse the shops that are open and if you look harder you might find a place to eat.

This Saturday, is a 2nd Saturday, when visitors come to Tarboro they'll see lively activity downtown.  There will be lots of people milling around, shoppers and street vendors as well as a variety of places to eat,  things to do, and lots of smiling faces.

They will see our pretty downtown as it should be seen. They will enjoy themselves and when they leave they'll take with them the opinion that Tarboro is a beautiful, historic town with lots of places to shop and eat and lots of friendly happy people.

Each T2S (Tarboro's 2nd Saturdays) event will get bigger and better, each month more people will hear about it and come to Tarboro.  Before long, Tarboro, North Carolina will be known as a fun destination for a Second Saturday Day Trip.   If folks are on their way to or from the Outer Banks, they'll swing by Tarboro on the way.  If folks are looking for a weekend get-away with lots of historic charm and fun stuff to do, they'll come to Tarboro.

Eventually visitors will come to Tarboro on every weekend, not just the 2nd Saturday weekends.  They'll stroll our sidewalks. They'll shop at our shops and eat at our restaurants.  The few hundred-count people who attend our T2S events now will soon be matched on non-T2S weekends,  and on the 2nd Saturday of the month Tarboro's downtown will be a true festival of activity with events going on simultaneously at the town commons, the court house square, and Riverside Park. 

This is how it starts. It's like planting a seed in the garden. We take this little idea of having some fun things to do downtown on one day of the month, and we cultivate it and nourish it and grow it into a fabulous attraction that in turn "feeds the town".

I can see it.  If you can see it, too, let's work together to make it happen.

I received the following in an email from my sister:
 
"As you may have heard, each of us will be getting a tax rebate check to stimulate the economy.

If we spend that money at Wal-Mart, all the money will go to China.  If we spend it on gasoline, it will go to the Arabs.  If we purchase a computer, it will go to India.  If we purchase fruits and vegetables, it will go to Mexico, Honduras, Brazil and Guatemala.  If we purchase a good car, it will go to Japan. If we purchase useless stuff, it will go to Taiwan.  And, none of it will help the American economy.

We need to keep that money here in America. The only way to keep that money here at home is to spend it at yard sales since those are the only businesses still in the US! "

Don't forget the Tarboro Townwide Yard Sale  is on May 10th! 

Have fun and support our local economy!

As a newly-forming grassroots organization we've been blessed in many ways.  There has been a fantastic show of support and appreciation from the community and our group of active members is growing in a steady manner.

Recently we received yet another blessing in the form of Milton Bullock.  Mr Bullock, also known as the Golden Platter heard about Tarboro's 2nd Saturdays and the Grassroots of Tarboro and volunteered to join us  in our efforts to revitalize our town.

We have needed an honorable and respected citizen to represent us in an official capacity and Mr Bullock is the perfect person for that job.  He has submitted our proposal to the town council requesting permission to use the courthouse square and the riverfront park for future 2nd Saturdays and will present that proposal at the next town council meeting on Monday, May 12th at 7:00pm at the town hall on Main Street.

We hope that many of you will attend the meeting to show your support for Mr Bullock, Tarboro's 2nd Saturdays and for the Grassroots of Tarboro.

Promoting Tarboro is not something that must be done by an "official" group, or even by an un-official group like the Grassroots of Tarboro.  Each and every one of us can find a way to promote our town.  It can be something as simple as making a visitor feel welcomed and guiding them to places in Tarboro that may interest them, or you could do what Rusty Holderness did to get Tarboro in a nationwide publication.

In the last issue of THE WEEK magazine the Steal of the Week in real estate is a beautiful home for sale right here in Tarboro.  Rusty subscribes to the publication and knew that if readers saw what their real estate dollars could buy in Edgecombe County, North Carolina there would be no doubt that it was "a steal".

He contacted them several times, asking them to "check out" properties in Tarboro, but didn't get a response until this last issue (April 25, 2008).  There, on page 47, surrounded by beautiful expensive homes from around the country, The Steal of the Week, right here in Tarboro!  A gorgeous Victorian home in the historic district, with a STEAL of a list price; just $319,000.

That home doesn't belong to Rusty, he is not the real estate agent for the property, he's not going to make money if that house sells.  He didn't do it for the money or for any immediate gratification. He promotes Tarboro for the same reasons that we promote Tarboro.  He loves this town and wants it to thrive.  He wants people to know how nice it is to live here. He wants to "get the word out" about what we have to offer and we truly do have wonderful old homes at prices that are a fraction of what you'd pay elsewhere.

Thanks Rusty, your persistance paid off!  I'd be curious to hear from the Coldwell Banker office that listed that property what kind of response they are getting from that publication.

Rusty also promotes Tarboro through his website, HistoricTarboro.com .