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Downtown High Point president lays out new ‘Downtown Dollars’ results and details Elwood On Main project
Summary
Rebecca Canister, president of Downtown High Point, told the City Council at a budget work session that the group’s Downtown Dollars program has generated $15,600 in purchases with roughly $5,000 unredeemed, and she described the recently sold Showplace West (now Elwood On Main) as a 143‑unit, market‑rate redevelopment with an estimated $30–$33 million investment.
Rebecca Canister, president of Downtown High Point, told the High Point City Council during a special budget work session that a new incentive program aimed at sustaining year‑round downtown business is showing early promise.
"We've had $15,600 purchased," Canister said, and while about $9,007.88 has been redeemed, "there are still about $5,000 worth of gift cards sitting out there," with 430 redemptions averaging $22.76. The program matches 50% of each purchase, Canister said, and is intended to steer spending toward more than 33 participating downtown merchants.
The details matter because downtown experiences heavy seasonality tied to the furniture market and festivals. "This was a way to continually keep dollars flowing into downtown," Canister said, describing grant support from Electric Cities and partnerships with Visit High Point and others to promote Social Saturdays, movie nights and other activations that bring visitors outside peak market dates.
Canister also announced a major real‑estate development milestone: Showplace West (101 South Main Street), which the presentation referred to as Elwood On Main, "sold" and is under active developer work. She described the planned conversion as 143 market‑rate apartments with two small commercial spaces (about 900 square feet each) on Main and Wren streets. Canister said developers plan to use every available square foot — including basement and under‑stair cavities — and are partnering with a tax‑credit investor. Council members were told the developers estimate a $30–$33 million project and an estimated completion of December 2027.
Council members asked how Downtown Dollars tie to the social district and how businesses register; city staff and Canister said there is a registration process so participating businesses are on record and that the downtown boundary is applied somewhat loosely to include many Social Saturday locations.
Canister closed by outlining future priorities for Downtown High Point, including public art projects, expanded Social Saturdays and redevelopment of other Main Street properties. The council thanked her and moved on to other budget presentations.
