Selling Hartsville organizers aim to reach home audience first

If the Selling Hartsville initiative is to become successful in its goals of attracting more people to live here, then “Hartsville — The Art of Good Living” must become not just a slogan or logo but a mind set for the people who already live here, the executive director of The Byerly Foundation told members of the Selling Hartsville Task Force.

The task force is putting the final touches on plans for the launch of the branding initiative on Oct. 2 from 6 to 8 p.m. in downtown Hartsville.

“Selling Hartsville is not a one-time event. It’s got to be a paradigm shift. It’s got to be a mind set,” said Dick Puffer. “Some-how, we’ve got to make Selling Hartsville a mind set.

And the first group of people it has to reach, Puffer said, is made up of Hartsville residents. “Our first audience is Harts-ville,” Puffer said.

“Other communities that we are competing with are doing the same thing,” Puffer said. He pointed to Florence and its new effort to brand itself as one example.

Puffer and others affiliated with the initiative are going into the community to talk about the effort in front of civic clubs, service organizations and other groups, Puffer said. Puffer and Johnna Shirley are scheduled to speak to members of the Greater Hartsville Chamber of Commerce about the initiative at Wednesday’s Chamber All Member Lunch.

Among the long term objectives of the effort:

• To increase population inside the Hartsville city limits from its current level, about 7,400, to 10,000 when measured by the 2010 U.S. Census.
• To see an increase in city hospitality tax receipts — at the current 2 percent rate — of 25 percent a year over four years. The hospitality tax is a 2 percent sales tax on all prepared foods and beverages sold in restaurants and other establishments in the city.

• To experience a downtown with no empty business spaces, reflecting a vibrant downtown shopping, dining and community experience.

• To get at least 50 percent of those people who are getting jobs in Hartsville to live in the greater Hartsville area.

A variety of activities, including live entertainment, will be featured during the Selling Hartsville launch event. Organizers are encouraging merchants to keep their stores open for business during the evening and to display some of their merchandise on the sidewalks in front of their businesses.

Organizers are hoping for a large turnout of Hartsville area residents for the launch.

For residents, the launch will offer an opportunity to spend a couple of hours visiting with friends and neighbors and “a time to remind ourselves about this unique community we call home,” Puffer said.

“I keep telling people that that would be a good time to shut off the TV for a little while, come downtown and just enjoy one of the most authentic downtowns in the Southeast.”
The Selling Hartsville effort is aimed at promoting Hartsville as a desirable place to live and work by focusing on five core “pillars” of the community’s quality of life — learning, legacy, leisure, lifestyle and livelihood.

The event will also tie in with the formal dedication of Charles E. Burry Park in Cargill Way beginning at 5 p.m. Oct. 2.

Other events will also take place that Thursday and throughout the following weekend that will highlight Hartsville and some of what it has to offer.

The Black Creek Arts Council will host an opening reception the evening of Oct. 2 for “The Artisans of the South Carolina Cotton Trail.” The group, made up of 23 juried artisans will have works of various media on display for the event. The exhibit will remain in the gallery throughout the months of October and November.

Other events planned for the weekend that follows the Selling Hartsville launch include Coker College’s homecoming activities, the Jazz !Carolina music festival on Oct. 4 and the Tournament of Bands at Byerly Park also on the 4th and the Good Living Marketplace from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the 4th.