Through research, the City of Rock Hill determined the strength of the downtown market by collecting data on the number of workers and residents, as well as average incomes in downtown Rock Hill, and compared the data to that of similar cities and locations within Rock Hill.

The results were surprising. There are more workers in downtown Rock Hill than anywhere else in the city, including the areas near Piedmont Medical Center and the I-77 corridor at Cherry Road and Dave Lyle Boulevard. In fact, there are more people working within one mile of downtown Rock Hill than there are working within one mile of downtown Greenville or Spartanburg. And downtown Rock Hill’s population has more income, with greater household income levels, than comparable figures for downtowns in Spartanburg, Lancaster and York. As downtown residential development progresses and Winthrop University grows, these numbers are sure to increase.

The relocation of Williams & Fudge to the renovated Cotton Factory will bring an additional 200 people downtown each day. As the Textile Corridor continues to develop and more businesses and residents locate in the urban core, the number of downtown workers dining out or shopping will continue to rise. With more residents and workers, the demand for retail and restaurants will grow, enabling new businesses to succeed.