Affiliates with HandMade in America and representatives from the Small Towns program convened at the Ashe County Arts Center to exchange community reports on Friday.

The meeting gave the town of West Jefferson the opportunity to showcase what the community has done in terms of downtown revitalization. Representatives from Bakersville, Crossnore, Todd and other communities delivered individual presentations on the successes they have experienced while working through the Small Towns Main Street Program. The towns who presented on Friday were part of the Northern Cluster of communities in North Carolina from HandMade.

Friday’s meeting between HandMade and representatives from the Small Towns Main Street Program was not the first time that a forum was held for the improvement or revitalization of downtown West Jefferson. In September, the West Jefferson Community Partnership and West Jefferson chapter of the Small Towns program met to explore the possibility of the two groups working together to achieve downtown revitalization. Friday’s meeting was similar to the September meeting in promoting the foster of economic growth in the community but also allowed other communities to participate in the program by offering examples of their success and how other towns could learn from their programs.

After the other towns in the northern cluster presented, West Jefferson took to the stage to showcase their triumphs and success through the