DANVILLE, Va. – Despite the pandemic, business is booming in Danville as some new restaurants and markets open up. But with a casino coming in a couple of years, some businesses are already trying to reel in a crowd.
Indulging in the taste of the sea, Danville residents no longer need to make a trip past the state border.
“A lot of people from Danville drive to Greensboro just for Red Crab,” Red Crab General Manager Renea Zamora said. “They’ll travel for it so why not just open one here?”
An idea the chamber of commerce likes to hear as it keeps dollars local and attracts some new fans.
“We know that people who come here come back and so the more people we can bring the more fans we can create,” Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Alexis Ehrhardt said.
With a casino coming to Danville in 2023, the extra foot traffic is what the city is crossing its fingers for.
“There’s no question in my mind that when you attract an amenity like a casino, that is going to snowball,” Ehrhardt said.
It’s one of the main reasons why the Red Crab opened up their doors in the first place.
“The more stuff we bring to Danville the better Danville will be,” Zamora said. “And then with the casino coming, it’s going to bring in a lot more stuff.”
On the other hand, near the Franklin Turnpike, Mount Hermon Fresh Meat Market opened to try their luck in entrepreneurship.
While the owner, Jacob Walker, is not relying on other attractions to bring in customers, he wants to serve his community as the pandemic still lingers.
“We want to care for everyone we can possibly take care of,” he said.
And with 75% of small businesses making up the chamber’s membership, Ehrhardt said these new small business are the lifeblood of the community.