Better availability to tourists is cited as one reason for a planned move of the Ashe County Chamber of Commerce office to Jefferson Avenue.

The business organization that houses the county’s leading visitor’s center, voted Tuesday to allow its executive board to sign a lease for the former Thistlewood building at the corner of Main and Jefferson in West Jefferson.

Negotiations and planning for the move were sprearheaded by board member Scott Ballard who said he was concerned about the sustained decline in walk-in traffic at the current chamber office located on East 2nd Street next the Ashe County Ford. He led a committee composed of Betsy Woodruff, Chris Barr, and Johnny Burleson

Ballard held discussions with Chamber Executive Director Cabot Hamilton and his committee and did a cost analysis of the move.

Rent will rise about $200 per month, he said, and organizers anticipate a higher utility bill at the larger Jefferson Avenue location that they expect will have more people in and out.

That greater number of visitors adds credibility to the financial feasibility of the move, organizers say.

They believe initial setup costs will likely run at least $20,000. That includes display racks for promotional materials and interior office space inside what is now an open retail space. It also includes a $1,600 fee for hooking up water and sewer to the building and a half bath.

On the revenue side, organizers anticipate earnings from sale of promotional space and collectibles bearing an Ashe County Chamber logo.

“I think that fiddle logo (identifying the chamber) is very nice and could be one of the things visitors would want to take home on a t-shirt,” Gwynita Steele, chamber president said. The suggestion was one of what is likely to be a developing list of county promotional sale items. “We don’t want to compete with others who sell tourist collectibles, just supplement them,” Steele said.

The new building provides what organizers see as valuable location for renting space for businesses to leave promotional space. A fee for the promotional space and whether chamber members would be charged for the service remains to be decided.

The move is expected to take atleast 60 days while the space is fitted with offices and the bath.

Moving day is yet to be determined.