Revitalizing Salisbury by pairing old with new

The newest business to come to downtown Salisbury is a hair salon called Edit, but the concept behind it, reflects the idea behind the revitalization of downtown itself.

At the salon in downtown you get over sized mirrors, nice salon chairs and an open floor plan. It give you a modern feeling. At the same time though, you get original brick walls of the building with exposed piping and relics from yester-year.

A juxtaposition of history and modernity that the owners wanted.

“I think we had a vision as soon as we saw this space. When we found our there was a brick wall behind here, I mean we were ecstatic,” said partial owner of Edit, Missy Seese.

A picture of Edit partial owner Kyle Bradshaw’s grandmother, who she says is her inspiration, hangs in the salon.

A feeling from the past that Bradshaw says is part of Edit’s future.

That same influence of history is what Salisbury planning director Jack Lenox says is key in revitalization of downtown.

“That’s essential to this whole thing, to keep the best of our past while we continue moving forward for the future,” Lenox said.

Lenox says the long term plan is to make downtown Salisbury a walkable place where you can eat, shop and play.

Already, Salisbury has negotiated a deal to develop the parking lot behind main street into condos and more retail.

If everything goes as planned shovels should break ground within five years.

To attract more businesses, the city is offering incentive Lenox says.

Fees for hooking up water and sewage are waived for all new downtown businesses.

On top of that, downtown has been designated as an enterprise zone.

A state wide program that means businesses are offered tax reductions based on their investment and number of employees.

Those incentives and wanting to be a part of a rebirth are why edit partial owner Marrissa Metcalfe says she’s excited.

“It’s time to bring it back and I don’t think that anyone wants to miss out on it because there’s no better place to be in Salisbury than downtown,” Metcalfe said.