History of the Revitalization of Downtown New Bern NC: Carolina Creations...adding to downtown's rich diversity

Jan Francoeur
Carolina Creations

The essence of downtown is diversity, with a range of choice in things to do and see, drawing people throughout the day and evening. The essence of downtown’s business community is also about diversity. For the most part, the downtown business owners are independent people, from many different cities, and many different reasons for opening a business in our downtown including being a part of a successful revitalization effort. Many people over the past 30 years have opened businesses, some for a short duration and others have endured.

Jan & Michael Francoeur
Owners, Carolina Creations

One of the businesses that endured is Carolina Creations, owned by Jan and Michael Francoeur, originally from Michigan. Carolina Creations is a beautiful gallery shop filled with high quality art, Jan and Michael’s, and 300 local, regional and nationally known artists. After six years of adventurous carefree living in Colorado and traveling through numerous states in a motor home, they decided it was time to settle down---their criteria “a place that was on the way but hadn’t gotten there yet, on the water (Michigan natives need to be near the water to be happy) and in a beautiful setting”.

New Bern’s warm response to their letters of inquiry won them over. They arrived in 1989, traded the motor home in for a boat and lived on it for three years at the then new Ramada Inn & Marina (now the BridgePointe Hotel and Marina). After opening a studio and partnering with several other artists in a space on Middle Street, her work sold so well, Michael closed his business and they opened their own gallery/shop in what was Bryant McLeod’s Men Clothing Store on Pollock Street.

Fourteen successful years later, they partnered with Maune Belangia Faulkenberry Architects, bought the building at 317 Pollock (formerly a Chinese restaurant) and renovated it for retail on the first floor and offices on the second floor. They also rehabbed a historic home and built a new three story residence and studio several blocks from Carolina Creations…downtowners through and through!

Thanks to people like Jan and Michael and the many others who have invested time, talent and money, a once dying downtown is filled with a rich and diverse mixture of people, businesses, residences, retail, and cultural activity. Long gone are the days when the number of businesses were minimal in number and the majority of property downtown was owned by absentee owners not inclined to invest in the physical improvements so important to the revitalization effort.

Downtown’s effort was long and difficult. The essential leadership from the City, Swiss Bear, business owners and investors, the ingenuity and persistence of those who took on the task of shaping the downtown community led to its success. This rich diversity, on-going commitment and investment by the local business community is also vitally important to the sustainability of our beautiful historic downtown.

Susan Moffat Thomas

Executive Director