Woodstock’s Legacy Businesses Deserve More Than Just Grit
Next time you’re in town, stop by and visit Antiques by Samson & Delilah.
The Cherokee Tribune reports that Antiques by Samson & Delilah has reopened on Main Street after a year-long closure. For more than twenty years, this family shop has been part of the heartbeat of downtown Woodstock. After loss and illness forced a pause, they have reopened their doors. That is resilience, and it deserves applause.
But here is the bigger question: why do businesses like Samson & Delilah have to survive on grit alone, while developers and chains get the red-carpet treatment?
The city already offers breaks and fee waivers for new businesses. That is good. But for the shops that have anchored downtown for decades, the ones that give Woodstock its character, there is no safety net, no incentive program, and no real policy to help them weather hard times.
As mayor, I cannot wave a magic wand. Woodstock has a weak-mayor system. What I can do is use the office to push for council action, transparency, and accountability. Here is what that would look like:
Downtown Development Authority accountability. The DDA should dedicate part of its budget to legacy businesses, with help for signage, storefront improvements, or temporary relief when construction blocks customers.
Small business preservation in planning. The city’s Comprehensive Plan says downtown should stay unique. That means protecting long-standing shops, not just recruiting chains.
Transparent data. Residents deserve a public dashboard showing who benefits from city incentives, tax breaks, and infrastructure upgrades.
Simplified permits and fees. If we can waive costs for start-ups, we can do the same for the shops that carried Woodstock through lean years.
Using the bully pulpit. The mayor’s job is to shine a light. I will celebrate and convene our local shops, and keep pressing council until support for legacy businesses is written into policy, not just cut into a ribbon at a grand opening.
Samson & Delilah’s return is good news. But if we want a downtown that remains more than condos and chains, we need policies that back our people and not just our developers.
That is why I am running.
