April 28, 2004
Valdosta - K-9 treats are flying off the shelves at Buffy's Barkery. "Business is really booming here," said Buffy Huling, Owner.
Huling moved her doggie dinery into downtown Valdosta two months ago. "I think its the place to be," said Huling. And she could've asked for a better location. "People come in to have lunch at LuLu's or they may be visiting the Children's Shop next door and they see that I'm here and nine out of 10 come in," said Huling.
Other businesses seem to be following her lead. "A few have moved in across the street, a frame shop, and a couple of new eateries," said Huling.
Since January, 10 new businesses have moved into the downtown area, surpassing last year's overall total of only eight. "I think it's because of the success we've previously seen in downtown, the improvements we've made, the high quality we have with our street scape maintenance and utilities, and the city's investment in downtown," said James Horton, Main Street Director. '
And the city is offering several incentives to attract new businesses to downtown. "There are tax incentives, we have loans through the Central Valdosta Development Authority to help them fix up their buildings," said Horton. "The more businesses, the better downtown gets, the more people visit and the more money is spent," said Horton.
Giving stores like Buffy's the kick start they need for a successful business.
posted at 3:00 P.M. by ashley.harper@walb.com
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 Worldnow and WALB, a Raycom Media Station. 
